Ukraine will receive additional Mirage 2000 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on October 26 in his daily evening address, according to RBC.
Zelensky said: “I want to express special gratitude to Britain and France. There is a decision on additional Mirage jets for Ukraine and on air defense missiles. Britain will continue to support us with air defense, including missiles and the production of interceptor drones.”
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed France’s readiness to supply Ukraine with Mirage aircraft and Aster surface-to-air missiles, which can be used for air defense.
The arrival of the first Mirage fighters in Ukraine was reported in early February 2025. Ukrainian pilots had completed training in France, and about a month later, Kyiv announced the first combat use of these aircraft.
According to RBC, on October 22 Zelensky signed a memorandum of intent in Sweden with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for Ukraine to acquire at least 100 Gripen E fighter jets for its national air force.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said the following day that the government is considering using frozen Russian assets to finance the purchase. One Gripen E fighter costs about $85 million, meaning the total order for 100 jets would amount to approximately $8.5 billion.
Russia has repeatedly condemned Western arms supplies to Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying that no weapon supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces would fundamentally change the course of hostilities.
