France will provide Ukraine with light tanks and Bastion armoured personnel carriers, Ukraine’s President Zelensky announced following his meeting with the French leader Emmanuel Macron.
“[I] thanked [Macron] for the decision to transfer light tanks and Bastion APCs to Ukraine, as well as for intensifying work with partners in the same direction. [We also] agreed on further cooperation to significantly strengthen air defence and other defence capabilities,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
Macron confirmed this on his Twitter page: “I confirmed to President Zelensky that France would provide light combat tanks and continue its support in terms of air defence.”
Reuters reported, citing a French official, that AMX-10 RCs are the machines in question, but no further details were provided.
France’s L’Indépendant has noted that “this is the first time that Western-designed tanks have been supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces”, citing the Elysee, the French Presidency. “There are ongoing discussions about delivering more armour," says the media outlet.
