France is trying to play the role of the main supporter of Ukraine in Europe in the war with Russia. Even French President Emmanuel Macron went further and made a scandalous statement some time ago about the possibility of sending ground troops of Western countries to Ukraine.
But the sincerity of Emmanuel Macron, who has made determined statements on different topics, raises serious questions. Currently, the French leader is talking about the readiness of France to increase its military capacity for Ukraine without any limit, and that Russia must be defeated in Ukraine, said completely different words in the first months of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
At that time, Macron suggested in his talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he should protect Russia's image, and for this, Ukraine should give up a part of its sovereignty and make concessions to Russia.
The metamorphoses that have happened with Macron in the past 2 years have led him to take an uncompromising position on the issue of Ukraine. But is Macron, who often changes his position, interested in Ukraine's victory over Russia?
Considering the facts, we see that this is not true. Among Western allies, France lags far behind the United States, Great Britain, even the Baltic countries, Poland, and others in terms of the amount and proportion of military aid allocated to Ukraine. France allocates only 0.06% of its GDP to the military needs of Ukraine.
But instead of supporting Ukraine, France is trying to create conflict zones and militarization in different parts of the world. A clear example of this is France's military aid to Armenia.
Thus, France sold 3 GM200 radar systems, and 50 “Bastion” armored vehicles to Armenia, and signed an agreement on the future purchase of “Mistral” short-range air defense systems.
The sale of the GM 200 radar system, not the expired "Bastion" armored vehicles, which were rejected by the Ukrainian side due to their technical specifications is drawing attention. Ukraine, which has serious difficulties in the air defense system and cannot protect its airspace, is in serious need of those air defense systems.
However, France, saying that it will provide Ukraine with unlimited military support, sells that weapon to Armenia, thereby creating unnecessary tension in the region and a non-constructive environment for peace talks, and Ukraine’s airspace remains unprotected.
Instead sends Ukraine hundreds of VAB armored personnel carriers, weapons, etc. whose production date has passed 40 years.
France sends Ukraine only stockpiles of weapons that have passed their expiration date and are old, and the Ukrainian serviceman experiences serious problems when using those weapons. For example, the French publication "Le Monde" reports that "Caesar" self-propelled artillery systems have shown significant construction defects on the battlefield during military operations in Ukraine.
The systems face serious quality issues in frost and off-road conditions, making their management and servicing very complex. As a result, the "Caesar" systems often break down and the repair process is very complicated. However, reports regarding this matter are blocked by the influence mechanisms of France's military industry in the media and are not brought to the agenda.
In 2024, France stated that it would supply Ukraine with 3,155 mm artillery shells monthly. However, this indicator is too low, and the "Caesar" systems can only meet the needs of the Ukrainian army for not even one month, but just 12 hours. France, claiming to desire Ukraine's victory, for some reason does not supply it with "Leclerc" tanks, "Mirage" aircraft, and the "Rafale" planes it still intended to sell in 2021.
On the other hand, France spends the military aid allocated to Ukraine for its industry. For example, the $3 bln. military aid to be allocated to Kyiv this year consists entirely of arms orders allocated to the local military industry.
Thus, despite the loud declarations of French officials and President Macron's word games, the picture revealed together with the facts mentioned above indicates that France is not interested in Ukraine's victory, and military support is allocated only to the extent that it can weaken Russia.
Instead of prioritizing Ukraine, the arming of Armenia and activities in Africa further prove this. On the other hand, Macron wants to appear as a significant and decisive politician amid the deterioration of the social situation and internal problems regarding the Ukrainian issue.
However, the steps taken indicate that France is interested in escalations that will fuel its military-industrial complex and geopolitical ambitions for years, turning into a global threat.