Ukraine will obtain up to 100 French-made Rafale warplanes over the next 10 years under a deal signed on Monday, both countries said, as Kyiv seeks to bolster its defences against Russia’s invasion.

Air defence systems, munitions and drones were also included in the letter of intent signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in front of one of the jets and both their flags.

“It will be the greatest air defence, one of the greatest in the world,” Zelenskiy told reporters at the event at France’s Villacoublay military airport.

Shares in Dassault, which makes the jets, rose sharply on the news and were 8% higher at 1245 GMT.

AIM FOR LONGER-TERM SUPPORT

The announcement comes after a surge of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in

See Full Page