Macron says France now providing two thirds of intelligence to Ukraine
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French President Emmanuel Macron visiting members of the armed forces at Istres Air Force Base in Istres, southern France, on Jan 15.
PHOTO: EPA
- Macron claims France now provides two-thirds of intelligence to Ukraine, largely replacing the US.
- US suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine in March 2025 to pressure Zelensky for peace talks.
- Budanov stated Ukraine remains critically dependent on US intelligence, contradicting Macron's claim.
AI generated
PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron said on Jan 15 that France was now providing two-thirds of intelligence information to Ukraine, largely replacing the United States, which until 2025 had delivered the bulk of those services.
In March 2025, Washington made the decision to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine
The relationship has had its ups and downs since, but there has been no indication that Washington has drastically cut its intelligence provision to Ukraine.
In a New Year’s speech to the French military, Mr Macron praised Europe’s efforts over the last two years in taking over major strands of weapons support to Ukraine.
He said a coalition of some 35 countries was now providing all of the support, including financial, to Kyiv after Washington had decided to no longer fund or directly give weapons to Ukraine.
“Where Ukraine was extremely dependent on American intelligence capacity, a huge majority (of it) a year ago, in (the space of) a year, two-thirds is today provided by France,” Mr Macron said.
The comments are in contrast to Lieutenant-General Kyrylo Budanov - appointed the head of Mr Zelensky’s office on Jan 2 and the former chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence
Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency declined to comment.
A French defence ministry official declined to comment specifically on the president’s assertions, but said much of the intelligence was of technical origin.
When Washington suspended intelligence in 2025, France’s then defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said the US halt to intelligence sharing would have a significant operational impact on Ukraine, but that France’s own intelligence provided to Kyiv was not reliant on Washington. REUTERS
