According to him, the statements of the current Ukrainian leaders, related to An-70 aircraft, surprised him. The fact is that cooperation between Russia, Ukraine and countries of Western Europe (first of all, Germany and France) in the network of this project was being discussed in 1990s. 

“Being the Deputy Minister of Defense and then the Secretary of Defense Council of Russian Federation, I was involved in the project and negotiations with Ukrainian, German and especially French colleagues. An-70 is a really good aircraft. It still keeps his high level compared to many analogues. But even then the Western Europe refused to cooperate. This decision was driven mostly by willingness to protect their own aerospace industry, first of all, the French one,” A.Kokoshin explained. 

He noted that armed forces of European countries have shown interest in the vehicle. Nevertheless, the decision was made in favor of the European project (A-400), where the largest share belongs to France. “Of course, most funds were allocated to the French aircraft industry,” Kokoshin said. 

It was reported earlier that the Secretary of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDCU), Alexander Turchinov, offered NATO to resume development of An-70. 

“I would like to draw your attention to a real possibility of resuming An-70 project, which will meet the requirements of our countries in terms of strategic transportation,” A. Turchinov said at a meeting of Ukraine-NATO working group dedicated to a military reform held in Kiev.