The French Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it will soon meet with its Ukrainian counterpart to discuss plans for the delivery of armoured combat vehicles. According to France's presidency, this will be the first time that the Ukrainian military will receive this kind of Western-made wheeled tank destroyer.
The delivery schedule and the instruction of Ukrainian soldiers on the equipment will be discussed, the ministry stated.
The AMX-10 RC, often known as "light tanks" in French, is equipped with a 105-millimetre cannon and two machine guns. According to the French military ministry, it is primarily intended for reconnaissance missions and has sufficient armour to defend against light infantry weapons. They are more mobile than large tanks because they have wheels rather than tracks.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister of Ukraine, thanked France on Twitter for the weapons and for "intensifying work with allies in the same direction."
Ukraine has been seeking supplies of larger tanks, such as the American Abrams and German Leopard 2 tanks, for months.
Ukrainian army has received T-72 tanks from the Soviet era from Poland and the Czech Republic.
Following an hour-long phone chat between Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday afternoon, France made its decision. Elysee refuses to give further information regarding the contract.
Since 1981, the French military has used the AMX-10 RC, which has recently undergone improvements. According to the French Ministry of Defense, the combat vehicle is currently being gradually replaced by a modern substitute known as Jaguar.
Following the French defence minister's visit to Kyiv last week, the decision represents another step in France's military assistance to Ukraine.
A sizable portion of Ukraine's Caesar cannon arsenal as well as anti-tank missiles, Crotale air defence missile batteries, and rocket launchers were provided by Paris. Additionally, it is educating 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on French soil.
President of the United States Joe Biden stated that his administration is thinking about sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a medium armoured combat vehicle that can also be used as a troop carrier, to Ukraine.
During a conversation with reporters while on the road in Kentucky, Biden was questioned about the possibility of giving Ukraine access to the tracked armoured fighting vehicle. He said, "Yes," without saying anything further.
The German government has been urged by Kiev and some domestic politicians to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 heavy tanks for months, but it has refused, claiming that no other country has provided similar Western weapons.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the administration are in regular and close touch "with our partners, with our friends, of course notably with the Americans," according to Saskia Esken, the co-leader of Scholz's party, who spoke to n-tv television on Thursday.
More than 200 armoured vehicles for transporting troops, according to Britain, have been provided to Ukraine, but no tanks as of yet.