"We are finalizing a bilateral agreement on guarantees that will be signed in the coming weeks. We will proceed with new [arms] deliveries: about 40 SCALP missiles [also known as the Storm Shadow] and several hundred bombs that our Ukrainian friends are waiting for," Macron told a news conference aired by the Elysee Palace on X.
The president added that France has moved to a war economy to step up military production, "which would allow us to supply much more equipment to our Ukrainian partners, especially the Caesar howitzers that they are expecting."
The French president further said that France and the European Union "would need to make new decisions" in the coming weeks and months to continue supporting Ukraine.
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said in late December 2023 that "the United Kingdom and France have provided over 200 guided air-to-surface Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles to Kiev that are being used to target civilian objects in Crimea and Donbas."
Western countries, including member states of the European Union, have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict.