Members of the Russian lower house of Parliament, which they call the "Duma" are now openly calling for an actual Declaration of War over the Ukraine situation. This comes as France became the first NATO country to announce they may provide Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. Russia knows Ukrainians cannot be quickly trained to fly them, so NATO pilots would be flying them, and the Russians, it seems, have finally had enough.
Viktor Sobolev, a member of the Russia State Duma Defense Committee, said that Russia “absolutely” needs to end the “special operation” and start a real war:
“There are no red lines left regarding Ukraine. And we need to end the special operation and start a war.”
French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said Paris was considering transferring the Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Kiev. According to him, quoted by the BFMTV channel, the relevant negotiations between the two countries are currently underway.
During the hearings in the Senate, the minister was asked if it was true that France was going to supply Kiev with Mirage planes and train Ukrainian pilots in Poland. Lecornu did not confirm this information, but announced ongoing negotiations with Ukraine.
France is considering the possibility of transferring its Mirage fighters to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots can be trained in Poland. While the fate of 12 Mirage fighters, which were decommissioned and put into storage in the summer of 2022, is still under discussion – said the minister.
He also mentioned the difficulties related to the supply of fighters. According to him, the problems relate to logistics, pilot training and technical support. At the same time, Lecornu ruled out rapid aircraft deliveries.
Discussions on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine began in January. The initiative was voiced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She is supported in the Baltics, Politico reported. In neighboring Poland, the decision on fighter jets for Kiev is described as “difficult.”
Earlier, the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Urmas Reinsalu, stressed the importance of Kiev’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. In this case, NATO will be able, if necessary, to supply Ukraine with nuclear weapons, if there is no other way to “contain Moscow” he said.
