Zelensky: Ukrainian pilots will soon start training on French Rafale jets in France
After a phone call with Emmanuel Macron on 5 October, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian pilots would begin training on Rafale fighter jets in France "in the very near future" and that Paris is preparing a new package of military supplies.
Ukrainian pilots will begin training on French Rafale fighter jets in France “in the very near future”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, 5 October, after a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. He called it “a strong step for Ukrainian combat aviation”, the Kyiv Post reported.
New French package
Zelensky said France is also preparing a new package of military supplies that Kyiv expects to receive soon; he did not disclose its contents but said they were discussed during the call. According to the Kyiv Independent, he also spoke with Poland’s leadership the same day about further European assistance, as Ukraine braces for a new wave of Russian attacks and US-led peace talks have failed to make headway.
The Rafale deal
The training is the first practical step in a deal that has been taking shape for nearly a year. In November 2025, Zelensky and Macron signed a letter of intent for Ukraine to acquire up to 100 Rafales. In July, Kyiv and Paris agreed on a roadmap for the first 16 jets and an unspecified amount of weaponry, expected to be financed through the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan and other sources, the Kyiv Post reported. France had earlier confirmed that it had begun preparing Ukrainian pilots for the aircraft.
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