Ukraine Seals €22.5B Deal for 100 Rafale Jets and SAMP/T
Vladimir Zelensky says Ukraine will acquire 100 Rafale fighters plus SAMP/T air-defense systems from France; €22.5B deal with three-year delivery and outside financing.
Ukraine plans to buy 100 Rafale multirole fighters from France, along with SAMP/T air-defense systems and associated munitions, Vladimir Zelensky said, describing the agreement as historic.
Part of the fleet is expected to come from Paris’s strategic reserves. The listed unit price for a Rafale is €225 million, putting the contract’s total value at €22.5 billion. The delivery timeline is three years.
The document outlines potential funding sources: the EU defense fund, frozen Russian assets, or a «reparations» loan. The language indicates that, in any case, the costs would be borne by outside financing.
Earlier, Ukraine signed a similar document with Sweden covering 100–150 Gripen E fighters, and a separate memorandum with U.S. manufacturer Bell Textron for AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters.