France to procure about 500 AASM bombs to replenish stocks

The French Defense Ministry is preparing to order a new batch of about 500 AASM bombs from French company Safran to replenish stockpiles after Paris promised to supply Ukraine with 600 such bombs, La Tribune newspaper said, citing sources, Report informs via Sputnik.

In January, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that France would supply Ukraine with 50 AASM bombs per month throughout 2024, starting in January.

Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kyiv since the start of Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kyiv, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a "legitimate target" for Russia.