France To Supply Ukraine With Mirage Jets: Macron's Bold Move To Aid Defense Against Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will supply Ukraine with its Mirage combat aircraft to bolster the country's defense against Russian aggression.

Macron revealed to the French public broadcaster that he will announce on Friday "a new cooperation with Ukraine and the sale of Mirage 2000-5, the French-made combat aircraft which will allow Ukraine to protect its soil and airspace against Russian attacks." Additionally, France will commence training Ukrainian pilots, reinforcing its support for Ukraine's right to use Western-provided weapons to target Russian military assets and "neutralize the points from which [Ukraine] is being attacked."

Macron's comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined world leaders in France to commemorate the D-Day invasion and to seek additional Western aid amidst ongoing battles near the eastern city of Kharkiv in Europe's most significant conflict since World War II.

Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena, participated in the 80th-anniversary events in Normandy alongside U.S. President Joe Biden and European leaders who have consistently supported Kyiv’s war efforts, now entering their third year. Zelenskyy is set to meet with French officials in Paris on Friday.

Ukraine is striving to repel a recent Russian offensive in its eastern regions, including the border areas of Kharkiv and Donetsk. The Russian push aims to exploit Kyiv’s shortages of ammunition and troops along the approximately 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

Ukraine portrays the conflict as a struggle between Western democratic freedom and Russian tyranny, while Russia asserts it is defending itself against NATO's menacing eastward expansion. Overnight, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a fuel depot in Russian border regions, marking Kyiv’s ongoing efforts to disrupt the Kremlin’s war machinery.

In support of these efforts, NATO allies have agreed to allow Ukraine to use delivered weapons to conduct limited attacks inside Russia, potentially hindering Moscow’s ability to open a new front in the northeastern regions. Ukrainian officials fear a fresh assault after the May 10 offensive against Kharkiv, where Russian troops exploited weaknesses and diverted Ukrainian forces successfully.

The United States has given Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied weapons to target sites within Russia, albeit with restrictions. Ukrainian lawmaker Yehor Cherniev told The Associated Press that these weapons can only be used in Russian border regions east of Ukraine, where Russian forces assemble and launch attacks. They cannot, however, target airfields or aircraft attacking Ukraine, including civilian areas.

Cherniev claimed that Ukraine has "halted" the northeast offensive in the Kharkiv region. He added, "Although Russian forces might still try to advance, now we can destroy their troops on Russian territory near the border of Kharkiv. We have also already destroyed some of their air defense systems."

White House national security spokesman John Kirby emphasized there has never been a restriction on Ukrainian forces shooting down hostile aircraft, even if those aircraft are outside Ukrainian airspace. "They can shoot down Russian airplanes that pose an impending threat. And they have since the beginning of the war," he said.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia might supply long-range weapons to other countries, enabling them to strike Western targets. Biden responded by highlighting the restrictions the U.S. has imposed on Ukraine's use of weapons.

“We’re not talking about giving Ukraine weapons to strike Moscow or the Kremlin,” Biden told ABC News. He clarified that Ukraine is authorized to use the weapons "just across the border where they’re receiving significant fire from conventional weapons used by the Russians to kill Ukrainians."

Biden expressed concern over Putin's behavior, labeling him “a dictator,” and pledged unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense, emphasizing that the U.S. would not allow Russia to threaten more of Europe.

Russian officials remain skeptical of Western assurances. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, stated that Putin's remarks indicated "a significant shift in our foreign policy," suggesting that Russian weapons could be provided to any entities opposing the U.S. and its allies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Western weapons used against Russia "can't be left without consequences, and those consequences will certainly follow."

Putin asserted that some Western-supplied weapons are controlled by military personnel from those countries, selecting targets, which could prompt Moscow to take "asymmetrical" steps globally. The U.S. military countered that it does not control the missiles it provides to Ukraine or their targets, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the alliance has no plans to deploy forces to Ukraine.

“We are focusing on how we can establish a stronger framework for our support, with an institutionalized framework and a long-term financial commitment to ensure we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Stoltenberg said in Finland.

An overnight drone attack ignited a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, Governor Vasily Golubev reported. Firefighters briefly withdrew due to a second attack. The damage extent was unclear, but there were no casualties.

In Belgorod, another border region, a drone hit an oil depot, causing an explosion and a fire in one of the oil reservoirs, which was quickly extinguished without casualties, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

These reports couldn't be immediately verified. Ukrainian drone attacks targeting refineries, fuel depots, and oil terminals have increasingly reached deep into Russia, disrupting revenue and compounding the pressure on Russia’s energy sector, exacerbated by Western sanctions.

Conversely, Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread power outages, seemingly aiming to diminish public morale and disrupt military manufacturing.