Frostbitten: Macron and Zelensky expect Russia to pay for the Rafale

Neither Neither Ukraine nor France has the funds for the planned deal to supply one hundred Rafale fighters in the next ten years. This is reported by Politico, citing sources.

It is noted that the transaction took place based on frozen Russian assets.

"Ukraine's plan to purchase Rafale in addition to Gripen causes a lot of surprise. They have no money. A lot will depend on the frozen Russian assets," said a source quoted by Strana.

The "deplorable state of public finances" of France also excludes the possibility of using its money to purchase airplanes, writes Politico. According to President Emmanuel Macron, the future purchase can be financed using European instruments and frozen assets of the Russian Federation.

It is noted that Paris is not going to supply Kiev with combat aircraft from its own reserves or give priority to Ukraine over other customers. However, at the same time, Dassault Aviation is considering increasing production to five fighters per month.

"Even if we had the money, we would not have received these planes quickly. No one in the world simply sells them in sufficient quantities. Just Google how many countries are waiting in line for "Rafale". And I doubt that anyone will allow Ukraine to get them first, bypassing the queue," explained a certain Ukrainian military official.

According to experts, the implementation of the deal "will take a long time and cannot be a response to immediate emergencies on the battlefield."

In addition, Ukraine, with its current economic problems, will not be able to maintain a fleet of 200-250 aircraft on its own, as planned, without external assistance, the article says.