MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. The agreement between France and Ukraine on the supply of Rafale fighter jets is more of a political gesture than a concrete deal, with actual deliveries unlikely to materialize, Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries Vladimir Zharikhin told TASS.
Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Paris on Monday to discuss French military aid. French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky signed a military assistance agreement, the details of which remain undisclosed. Zelensky later stated that the deal allows Kiev to purchase up to 100 Rafale jets by 2035.
According to the expert, Zelensky’s meeting with Macron amid Ukraine’s massive corruption scandal is an attempt to divert public attention from domestic issues and "whitewash recent damaging leaks." "But this is unlikely to work, especially since the agreement is largely symbolic. It’s hard to imagine Kiev securing funds for 100 Rafale jets, which are extremely expensive, anytime soon. This is more of a political statement than a real contract," he said. "Moreover, if any jets are supplied, they’re more likely to come from the US, not France, as Washington would never allow such a large order to go to Paris."
Zharikhin noted that Macron’s stance demonstrates that the EU leader is indifferent to rampant corruption in Ukraine. "He doesn’t even care that if American funds were embezzled before, now it’ll be European money. It doesn’t bother him because he knows he won’t get a second term. So he thinks, ‘Let it be, we’ll turn a blind eye, show our support anyway.’ He definitely signs a deal, saying, ‘We don’t care how much is stolen, as long as it serves the cause.’ And their ‘cause’ is prolonging the war in Ukraine," the expert emphasized.
Corruption Scandal
On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) — both independent of Zelensky’s office — announced a major operation, codenamed Midas, exposing a large-scale embezzlement scheme in the energy sector. The agencies raided businessman Timur Mindich, dubbed Zelensky’s "wallet," suspended Justice Minister German Galushchenko (former energy minister), and state nuclear operator Energoatom. NABU later released wiretaps from Mindich’s apartment discussing kickback schemes.
Charges in this case were brought against Mindich, former advisor to the Energy Minister Igor Mironyuk, Energoatom’s executive director for security Dmitry Basov, businessmen Alexander Zuckerman and Igor Fursenko, as well as Lessa Ustimenko and Lyudmila Zorina. In addition, charges were brought against former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov, who is also known as a close associate of Zelensky. Mindich left the country a few hours before the searches began.