The French Defense Ministry said on Thursday it will soon hold talks with its Ukrainian counterpart to arrange the delivery of armored fighting vehicles in what the French presidency says will be the first time this type of Western-made wheeled tank destroyer has been will hand over to the Ukrainian army. .
Discussions will include the delivery schedule and the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the team, the ministry said.
Designated as “light tanks” in French, the AMX-10 RC carries a 105mm cannon and two machine guns. It is primarily designed for reconnaissance missions and has sufficient armor to protect against light infantry weapons, according to the French Defense Ministry. They have wheels instead of tracks, which allows them to be more mobile than heavy tanks.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to Twitter to thank France for the weapons and for “intensifying work with partners in the same direction.”
Ukraine has sought for months to be supplied with heavier tanks, including the US Abrams and Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks.
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The Czech Republic and Poland have provided Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukrainian forces.
France’s decision was announced after an hour-long call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelenskyy on Wednesday afternoon. Elysee declined to provide details about the deal.
The AMX-10 RC has been in service with the French Army since 1981 and has undergone recent upgrades. The French Defense Ministry said the combat vehicle is now being gradually replaced by the new equivalent called the Jaguar.
AMX-10 RC tanks owned by the French Army are shown above. France said on January 4, 2023 that it will send French-made AMX-10 RC light tanks to Ukraine.
(Jeremy Bessat/Armee de Terre via AP)
The decision is another in France’s military support for Ukraine, following the French defense minister’s visit to Kyiv last week.
Paris has supplied Ukraine with a substantial part of its arsenal of Caesar guns, as well as anti-tank missiles, Crotale air defense missile batteries and rocket launchers. It is also training some 2,000 Ukrainian troops on French soil.
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US President Joe Biden said his administration is considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a medium armored fighting vehicle that can serve as a troop transport, to Ukraine.
Biden was asked during an exchange with reporters while traveling in Kentucky whether providing the tracked armored fighting vehicle to Ukraine was on the table. He replied “yes,” without offering further comment.
The German government has for months faced calls from Kyiv and some lawmakers at home to deliver Leopard 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine, but has said it would not make such a move alone and no other country has supplied similar Western equipment.
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The co-leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party, Saskia Esken, told n-tv television on Thursday that Scholz and the government are in regular and close contact “with our partners, with our friends, of course, particularly with the Americans” about arms deliveries.
Britain says it has given Ukraine more than 200 armored personnel carriers, but so far no tanks.
