France has largely replaced the US in providing intelligence to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron says.
Paris is now supplying two-thirds of the information received by Kyiv, he said, but this appears at odds with the sentiment of the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office.
Kyrylo Budanov said just last month that Kyiv was critically dependent on Washington for intelligence ranging from satellite imagery to early warning systems after ballistic missile launches.
Nonetheless, Macron told the French military: “Where Ukraine was extremely dependent on American intelligence capacity, [a] huge majority [of it] a year ago, in a year, two-thirds is today provided by France.”
Macron also praised Europe’s efforts in taking over major strands of weapons support to Ukraine, with 35 countries now providing all of the support, including financial, to Kyiv after Washington ceased funding or directly sending weapons to Ukraine.
Washington delivered the bulk of intelligence services until suspending them last March in an effort to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy during peace talks.