France is determined to plan military aid for Ukraine.

According to RT on January 19, the Defense Ministers of France and Ukraine announced the formation of an artillery alliance. This alliance includes countries participating in the Ramstein Formation's contact group for the defense of Ukraine. This group primarily comprises NATO member states.

"The goal of the alliance is to provide units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with artillery combat capabilities in the short term. In the long term, it aims to create Ukraine's future artillery forces through innovative and large-scale technological partnerships," - quoted from the official website of the French Ministry of Defence.

According to current plans, Paris will supply Ukraine with six CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers in the coming weeks. The amount the Kyiv government is paying for these self-propelled howitzers has not been disclosed.

By the end of 2024, the French Ministry of Defence was ready to finance the transfer of 12 of the 72 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Paris hoped that the coalition countries would allocate funds to Kyiv for the remaining 60 self-propelled howitzers. Since February 2022, France had already delivered 30 CAESAR howitzers to Ukraine.

In addition, Paris is also increasing production.France is exporting and supplying 155mm ammunition to Ukraine. According to the French Ministry of Defence, from February 2022 to April 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received 1,000 artillery shells per month from France, then 2,000 per month. From January 2024, Ukraine will receive 3,000 artillery shells per month.

Paris hopes that the large-scale use of artillery, including CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, could give the Ukrainian Armed Forces a significant advantage on the battlefield.

"We see trenches reappearing in Ukraine, their structure requiring the use of artillery. To regain the advantage, Kyiv needs to be highly mobile. This mobility is particularly achievable thanks to the CAESAR self-propelled artillery supplied to Ukraine. Another noteworthy fact is that the use of artillery on a large front means the consumption of a large amount of ammunition," the French Ministry of Defence quoted military analysts as saying.

At the same time, Paris acknowledges that the pace of military weapons production and aid efforts for Kyiv are insufficient. Paris continues to seek opportunities to increase military support for Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that new aid packages will include long-range SCALP cruise missiles, air-to-air bombs, and CAESAR missiles.

Analysts remain skeptical about the operational prospects of the artillery alliance. RISI expert Sergei Ermkov noted that Kyiv's "sponsors" have created several similar formations for air defenses and armored vehicles. But this essentially solves nothing. From the French perspective, the artillery alliance is more of a demonstration of a strong determination to continue providing military support to Kyiv.

According to analyst Ermkov, France has just announced an increase in arms supplies to Ukraine while also trying to save costs. Paris is trying to maintain a balance in the face of pressure from Washington.

"The US is making a great effort to encourage its NATO allies to produce more weapons for Kyiv. At the same time, Europe does not want to transfer all of its weapons to Ukraine, and is investing as much as possible in its own military-industrial complex. There are many ambitions being declared, but no one is in a hurry to sacrifice their interests. And France is no exception," analyst Ermkov noted.