France will provide Ukraine with a new batch of long-range SCALP missiles

This was reported with reference to the French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

He emphasized that partners should maintain aid to Ukraine at a stable level, as this will also allow Ukrainian authorities to consider political solutions when they decide to do so.

"Military support is crucial, and even when the war ends, the Ukrainian army will need to continue being strengthened," Lecornu noted.

The minister stressed that France will continue the training program for 2,000 Ukrainian military personnel who are being trained on French equipment.

The Defence Minister anticipates that Russia’s strikes deep into Ukrainian territory might intensify in the winter. According to him, France will provide Ukraine with portable anti-aircraft missile systems Mistral and SCALP missiles.

"To allow Ukraine to strike beyond the front line, I signed a new transfer of about ten SCALP missiles in the last few days, as promised by the President of France to Volodymyr Zelenskyy," the minister stated.

SCALP is the French version of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which are a joint development by the UK and France. The French and British versions of the missile are almost identical. The differences lie only in the software and the carrier aircraft.