Ukraine has asked France to help it survive the year 2024 in order to organise a new counter-offensive in 2025. This was reported by the Le Figaro newspaper with a reference to a French official who recently participated in talks with the Ukrainian authorities.
“The Ukrainians are telling us: ‘Help us hold out in 2024, and in 2025 we will be able to resume the offensive,'” said a French official quoted by the newspaper.
Le Figaro stressed that after the collapse of the counter-offensive campaign in 2023, Ukrainian forces were forced to take a defensive position.
The material notes that the serious losses of Ukrainians on the battlefield, which are associated with high-precision weapons and with the “increased transparency” of combat operations, make any offensive operation in the future virtually impossible. For this reason, the countries of the Collective West have once again started proactively discussing Ukraine’s defeat in the conflict.
The newspaper emphasised that Kiev has a genuine interest in the SAMP/T SAMs. Le Figaro’s interlocutor noted that Ukraine needed not only air defence systems, but also missiles to them.
The publication specifies that Paris is putting pressure on the firm that makes the ammunition for these surface-to-air missiles. However, this company, with all the excessive influence of the government of the “Fifth Republic” will not be able to produce more shells for these installations in the short term.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal mentioned that French President Emmanuel Macron assured his North Atlantic allies that if Paris decides to invade Ukraine and a Russian strike is launched against French soldiers, the head of the “Fifth Republic” will not demand help from the USA and NATO.
