Macron doesn't rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine

French president says Kyiv must make formal request and certain conditions would have to be met

French President Emmanuel Macron. Bloomberg

France does not exclude sending fighter jets to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, but he laid out conditions for such a significant step to be taken.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, France has sent Kyiv air-defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannon and other military equipment.

It has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of battle tanks or heavier weaponry.

Mr Macron was asked at The Hague on Monday if France was considering sending warplanes, to which he replied “nothing is excluded” as long as certain conditions are met.

Among those conditions: are that such equipment would not lead to an increase in tension or be used “to touch Russian soil", and that it would not “weaken the capacities of the French army", Mr Macron said.

He said Ukraine would have to formally request the planes, and that he would be meeting visiting Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Paris on Tuesday.

Drones and weapons supplied to Ukraine - in pictures

Turkeysold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine. They can fly at an altitude of 7,500 metres and swoop down to attack targets. AFP

The US also gave 700 of its Switchblade kamikaze drones. AP

Cheap commercial drones like the DJI Mavic series have been modified in Ukraine. AFP

Germany will follow the US in providing a Patriot missile defence system, pictured above, to Ukraine. Reuters

FIM-92 Stinger rockets have been donated to help Ukrainian infantry engage aircraft and drones. The shoulder-launched missiles can shoot down aircraft. Photo: US Army

Germany donated 25 Flakpanzer Gepard all-weather-capable self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. AFP

The High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, can simultaneously launch several precision-guided missiles. The US has given Ukraine projectiles with a range of about 130 kilometres. EPA

M777 howitzers and about 300,000 shells have been donated to give Ukraine an accurate artillery platform with a range of 50 kilometres. EPA

Ukraine has been sent at least 5,000 of the anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs. These shoulder-launched rockets have proved deadly in the field. PA

Ukrainian troops have also received thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles. Bloomberg

Poland and the Czech Republic sent Russian-made T72 tanks, which Ukraine has used for decades, to ease integration and cut down training time. EPA

France as announced its plan to give AMX-10 RC “scout tanks” to Ukraine. "This is the first time that western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," a French official said. AFP

Shortly after the French, the US said it would send Bradley fighting vehicles to provide "a level of firepower and armour that would bring advantages on the battlefield”. Reuters

The UK sent their phased-out Saxon armoured vehicles. They found new life protecting infantry units in transit and dealing with tough off-road conditions. Getty Images

Denmark has supplied Harpoon anti-ship launchers to help Ukraine defend its coasts. AFP

The US sent 20 Soviet and Russian made Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine that had initially been bought for the Afghan government in 2010. AP

Germany has also supplied its latest version of the IRIS-T air defence system designed to shoot down missiles at altitudes up to 20 kilometres. Getty Images

Ukraine has also been given thousands of small arms, bullet proof vests, medical kits, litres of fuel, granades and other weapons systems. Reuters

Ukrainian officials have been stepping up demands for heavier weapons from Western allies to push back Russia’s forces.

At Mr Macron’s side, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Ukraine had not formally requested Dutch F16 fighter jets so far.

Mr Rutte struck a cautious stance after Dutch Foreign Minister told politicians this month that there were “no taboos” about sending the warplanes.

“There is no talk about delivering F-16s to Ukraine. No requests,” he said on Monday. There are “no taboos, but it would be a very big next step.”

“It is very important we keep supporting Ukraine and that Ukraine articulates to us what they need."

Russia and Ukraine conflict latest - in pictures

A tank, seen left, fires a round in Soledar, a town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Reuters

Tank fire in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters

Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a Kharkiv fireworks storage site after it was struck by a Russian missile. Getty

Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, visits his troops on the frontline in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters

A Ukrainian flag attached to a tank flutters in the wind in Bakhmut. Reuters

A specialist from an emergency crew works on a residential building in Donetsk that was damaged in recent shelling. Reuters

A missile fragment left by shelling in Russian-controlled Donetsk. AP

Residents remove debris and carry their belongings out of a building destroyed by recent shelling in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters

Ukrainian forces fire an anti-aircraft weapon as Russia's attack on the frontline city of Bakhmut continues. Reuters

A car drives past a destroyed building purported to have been used as temporary accommodation for Russian soldiers, dozens of whom were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in Makiivka, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters

The site of a temporary barracks for Russian soldiers in Makiivka, which was destroyed in a Ukrainian missile attack. Reuters

A Ukrainian serviceman carries his injured comrade from the battlefield to a hospital in the Donetsk region. AP

Smoke rises after shelling in Soledar, the site of heavy battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk region. AP

He also welcomed recent German and US announcements about sending tanks to Ukraine.

“As the Netherlands, we will keep looking at what we can do,” Mr Rutte said.

“We don’t have Leopard 2 tanks, we lease them. We’ve said if it helps we’re prepared to buy them and pass them on. Maybe it’s better to use those leased Leopard 2s somewhere else … Whatever works.”

Also on Monday, France and Australia announced a deal to jointly produce 155mm artillery shells for Ukraine after a ministerial meeting in Paris that showed efforts to relaunch ties between the Pacific allies.

What sending western tanks to Ukraine will mean - video

The artillery deal is a small but symbolic step by the two nations after a bitter row two years ago when former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison tore up a contract to buy submarines from France.

"Several thousand 155mm shells will be manufactured jointly," French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said alongside his Australian equivalent Richard Marles, and the two countries' foreign ministers.

"There are some unique capabilities that exist in Australia and some synergies that can be achieved by Australia and France working together in relation to the supply of this ammunition," Mr Marles said.

The deal will see both countries share the cost of the deliveries of the ammunition from French maker Nexter, with Australia to provide the explosive powder, Mr Lecornu said.