France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and provide training for Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military collaboration with Kyiv, announced President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.

"Starting tomorrow, we will initiate a new cooperation by transferring Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine and training their pilots here in France," Macron revealed in an interview on French TV.

When President Macron meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace on Friday, he will propose that the pilot training begins this summer.

Ukraine faces a significant challenge in training soldiers as it seeks to mobilize tens of thousands more troops for the frontlines. To support this effort, France will equip and train a brigade of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers, ensuring they are prepared to defend themselves upon returning to Ukraine.

Kyiv has been urging European nations to ramp up their military support, especially as Russia has gained the upper hand on the battlefield in recent months. Zelensky's visit to France, which included attending the 80th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies and meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, is seen as a critical moment to secure more aid.

Macron mentioned that Ukraine has formally requested its Western allies to send military instructors to train Ukrainian forces within their own country to expedite the process of building up troop numbers. "The Ukrainian president and his defense minister sent an official letter 48 hours ago requesting quicker training on their soil," Macron stated.

There has been speculation that Macron might quickly announce the deployment of French instructors to Ukraine after his discussions with Zelensky on Friday. However, Macron emphasized that any such move would be a collective decision with France's allies and insisted that it would not be an "escalatory" action.

"We are collaborating with our partners and will act based on a collective decision," Macron concluded.

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