France objected to using the Turkish TB2 UCAV in Ukraine’s Donbas area, claiming it was a heavy weapon. The French Foreign Ministry responded to a question concerning using the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV in Ukraine’s Donbas area. The French Ministry stated that it was “concerned” due to the use of TB2.
The Ministry stated that the question of, “According to media reports, the Ukrainian army used Turkish Bayraktar TB2 attack drones for the first time in the Donbas region. Is France aware of that? What is its response?” was posed.
In response, the Ministry said, “We are concerned by the intensification of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, and particularly the increasing use of heavy weapons, prohibited under the Minsk Agreement, and by the Ukrainian army chief of staff’s announcement of the use of a Bayraktar armed drone. These developments are contrary to the measures that entered into force on July 27, 2020, to strengthen the ceasefire.
France, along with Germany, is pursuing its efforts within the Normandy Format to ensure the full implementation of the Minsk Agreement, the only agreed-to basis for a lasting settlement to the Donbas conflict. We call on the parties to exercise restraint and engage in de-escalation.”
France and Germany refer to Normandy Format and the Minsk Protocol. None of the documents mentions UCAV. The follow-up memorandum after the Minsk Protocol says, “To pull heavy weaponry 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) back on each side of the line of contact, creating a 30-kilometre (19 mi) buffer zone.” It is worth remembering the Ukrainian authority’s announcement about the TB2. They said that the ammunition was released from the TB2 flying 15 km away from the target. It can be therefore assumed that France and Germany consider the TB2 Tactical UCAV as a heavy weapon.
