Over 900 Attend SkyShield France Event to Support Ukraine’s Air Defense

In Paris, more than 900 people gathered for the SkyShield France evening, supporting the initiative to provide Ukraine with air defense systems.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Ukrinform.

The organizers of SkyShield France launched a petition to provide Ukraine with air defense systems, calling on the French and European governments to become more actively involved in the project. The petition has currently gathered about 60,000 signatures, and the next goal is 100,000, after which it will be considered in parliament.

During the evening, experts discussed the practical and political aspects of the initiative's implementation and its strategic importance for Europe. Moreover, MP Frédéric Petit called on the French government to support SkyShield by providing all possible air defense systems and logistics.

Participants of the event emphasized that European support is important not only to protect Ukraine from Russian missiles and drones, but also to demonstrate European unity and solidarity.

"More than 900 people who gathered today in support of the SkyShield initiative demonstrate that French society cares. My message is simple: we call on our European partners to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine," said Volodymyr Kogutak, vice president of the World Congress of Ukrainians and the Union of Ukrainians in France.

Earlier, French supporters of the SkyShield initiative met with advisors to President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the technical feasibility of deploying military aircraft to protect Ukrainian airspace.

According to an OpinionWay poll, 63% of French citizens support “a European initiative to intercept drones and missiles aimed at the civilian population of Ukraine a few hundred kilometers from the front line.”

European SkyShield for Ukraine is a proposed European-led air defense initiative aimed at protecting western and central Ukraine from Russian missile and drone attacks. The plan, called SkyShield, would establish an Integrated Air Protection Zone (IAPZ) operated by willing NATO countries, independent of NATO command, and coordinated with the Ukrainian Air Force, using up to 120 fighter jets for combat air patrols over uncontested Ukrainian territory.

This plan envisages that Europe will shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukrainian territory, thus helping to protect critical infrastructure, nuclear power plants, the civilian population of Ukraine, and the territory of the European Union.

European countries are already considering the Sky Shield initiative. According to Le Monde, after the incident with Russian drones in Poland, European officials are increasingly aware of the need for active defense outside their territory.

At the same time, such actions cannot be considered an act of aggression against Russia, as they are fully justified by international conventions.

As The Gaze informed earlier, France’s army is preparing for the potential deployment of its forces to Ukraine as early as next year under European security guarantees, the country’s top military officer confirmed.