According to agreed sources, Ukraine will soon be equipped with 20 12.5-ton Bastion (Arquus) armored vehicles. The contract is between the French manufacturer, which belongs to the Swedish group Volvo, and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The Bastion can transport up to ten soldiers (two + eight passengers). Many African armies are equipped with bastions manufactured at the Limoges site. This vehicle has been a reference in Africa for more than ten years. There are two models, one as a troop carrier or command post that can be armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun; the other in the Patsas version (five soldiers), a light open-body armored vehicle specially designed for the special forces (3 x 7.62mm and 12.7mm on circular anti-tank rocket launcher).
According to Le Monde, Army Minister Sébastien Lecornu proposed to his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov to set up a fund, credited by France with at least 50 million euros, in which Kyiv could buy military equipment from French industrialists. In addition, according to Le Monde, France is preparing to deliver six to 12 more Caesar guns to Ukraine from an order originally intended for Denmark. The military ministry, contacted by Portal after the article was published in Le Monde, recalled that “France is a reliable, credible and supportive supporter of Ukraine” but that “the details of this support are not to be disclosed”. Paris has already delivered 18 examples of the Caesar to Kyiv, manufactured by the Nexter Group and sourced from the French Army reserves.
Slovak artillery pieces for Ukraine
Starting next year, Germany, Denmark and Norway will supply 16 armored car artillery pieces to Ukraine, which wants to strengthen its heavy military arsenal to defend against Russia, Berlin announced on Sunday. The announcement follows a visit by German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to Ukraine this weekend, a first since the Russian invasion began on February 24. The three supplier countries have agreed to jointly finance the delivery of Zuzana 2 guns from Slovakia for 92 million euros, as the Ministry of Defense announced in Berlin. Ukraine is expected to receive them from 2023.
Kyiv demanded more, particularly German Leopard tanks, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government refused to supply. Indeed, the latter has stated that such a decision is not his sole responsibility and should first be discussed with his western allies. “We will continue to get involved in a variety of ways,” emphasized Christine Lambrecht on ARD1. In her opinion, Berlin is doing a lot to support Kyiv. “For the federal government and NATO as a whole, that is absolutely clear [que] we will not become a part [belligérante] in this war,” she continued.
New phone call between Macron and Zelenskyy
Emmanuel Macron spoke to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday. He reiterated “his strong condemnation of Russia’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions,” the Elysée said. He reiterated France’s determination to help Ukraine “regain full sovereignty and territorial integrity and work with its European partners on new sanctions.” They spoke about the situation in Zaporijjia, which remains very worrying. The President of the Republic condemned the arrest of the director of the plant by the Russian armed forces.
