France is pressing Greece to hand about a dozen Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine, in exchange for a fresh Greek order of new Dassault Rafale jets, Les Echos reports on the eve of Emmanuel Macron's two-day visit to Athens. Kyiv has been asking for more aircraft; Paris, constrained by its own budget, cannot deliver directly and sees Athens as a workable intermediary.
The deal is contentious. Greece currently flies 24 Mirage 2000-5 plus 10 older Mirage 2000 EGM/BGM in storage, alongside 24 Rafale and US F-16s. Athens is reluctant to part with half of its Mirage fleet immediately, fearing a strategic gap vis-à-vis Turkey before new Rafales arrive (Mirage replacement was planned for 2030, not now). The financing question is also open: a used Mirage and a new Rafale do not have comparable price tags. Greece has already committed around 12 billion euros of its 25 billion euros defence modernisation plan through 2036, including 20 F-35s.
Only a European financing arrangement — for example Ukraine using the 90 billion euros EU loan to buy the Greek Mirages, with proceeds covering Greece's Rafale down payment — would make the triangle work. Dassault would also be expected to cut its price. Talks continue during Macron's visit. Source: Les Echos, 24 April 2026, Basile Dekonink and Anne Bauer.