Why is France so discreet about its arms deliveries?

“France helps a lot but prefers not to advertise on it, it’s traditional French shyness,” assured the Ukrainian ambassador, Vadym Omelchenko, invited Thursday by the town hall of Neuilly as part of the International Circle of Neuilly. Compared to the noisy British communication on arms deliveries in support of kyiv to defend itself from Russian aggression, Paris indeed seems very humble.

But why such discretion? While the country “prides itself on being the leading army in Europe”, as Michel Goya, a former colonel in the navy, historian and strategist and author of The Bear and the Fox (Tallendier)? “Simply because we don’t send many,” he replies to 20 minutes.

What France is already doing

Caesar guns, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, forward armored vehicles, rocket launchers… France has already taken part in the war effort in support of Ukraine. During Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Paris in mid-May, Emmanuel Macron again promised his Ukrainian counterpart new deliveries, particularly in the field of air defense, without specifying the details. Several battalions of Ukrainian soldiers will also be trained and equipped “with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RC”, explained the joint press release following the meeting in Paris between the two presidents.

But it’s not just the weaponry that counts. “I cannot fail to thank the people and the French government for their humanitarian aid,” greeted the Ukrainian ambassador. France’s aid is indeed today mainly humanitarian and financial, and even if it is less noticeable, “it is fundamental” in the conflict, affirms Michel Goya. “The Ukrainian administration is today paid by European countries” and “it is also thanks to financial loans that they can buy war material”, develops the former colonel of the navy troops.

A dry stock

But then why so little communication on arms deliveries? Well because, despite everything, “our contribution is modest militarily,” explains Michel Goya. We are active, but we have very low potential. France is indeed twelfth in the ranking of countries that supply the most arms to Ukraine, far behind the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively in first and second place, according to Kiel Institute which lists aid from all countries. It’s not so much a lack of will, “it’s because we can’t do much given the state of our stocks, further analyzes the historian. We delivered what we could. So there’s no need to brag.

To go further, “we would have to strip ourselves of what we have left”, he agrees. Because the war in Ukraine is mainly a land war, but it is precisely this kind of material (tanks, shells, etc.) “which has been divided by three for the last thirty years”, recalls the former colonel of the navy troops . While France has retained technical skills and possesses high-performance equipment, such as Caesar cannons or the Mamba anti-aircraft defense system, few remain.

Extra effort always possible

However, France is probably not at the maximum of its capacities. When kyiv insistently demanded heavy tanks from its European and American partners, France did not answer the call. No sign of Leclerc tanks. “If we wanted, we could send around forty Leclercs,” said Michel Goya. And even if the Ukrainian ambassador affirms that Kiev did not want Leclerc tanks because “too complicated” and preferred a single model, many countries sent different copies: Germany, Portugal or Norway promised Leopard 2, the United States delivered Abrams tanks, the United Kingdom delivered Challengers 2. “And even for combat aircraft, we are a little reluctant,” adds Michel Goya.

On the training of soldiers, France could also have been a pioneer, transforming itself into a large training camp “since we pride ourselves on doing it very well in Africa”, notes the historian. But she fell behind, “we could have done it from the start. »

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