First French Mirage fighter jets arrive in Ukraine

Ukraine has received the first Mirage fighter jets from France, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday.

The Mirages were handed over along with Ukrainian pilots who had been trained on the jets in France, Lecornu posted on X.

The Defence Ministry did not disclose exactly how many aircraft were delivered and how many fighter aircraft France intends to provide in total.

French media reported, with reference to a budget report by the National Assembly from the autumn, that France plans to give Ukraine six of the 26 Mirage 2000-5s that the French air force has.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the arrival of both French fighter jets and US-built F-16s from the Netherlands.

"These modern fighting machines are already in Ukraine and will soon be used in combat missions," he wrote on Facebook.

Umerov did not provide any information on the number of jets that had arrived.