Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he and his French counterpart focused on increasing cooperation in training Kiev's armed forces as well as in the technical sphere.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu. Photo: Reuters
“Dozens of projects have been launched or are being discussed aimed at organizing joint production of new weapons or maintaining the weapons we already have,” Umerov said at a press conference alongside French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
The two sides are considering setting up a fund “to support partners and companies that want to start production in Ukraine,” he said.
For his part, Mr. Lecornu said France would "continue to help Ukraine as much as possible" but did not give details on the number of weapons that could be provided.
Ukraine's counteroffensive is focused on retaking areas of eastern Ukraine seized by Russian troops earlier this year and pushing south to cut off supply routes.
France and Ukraine will look at “what we can do together in terms of purchasing or producing weapons,” Lecornu said, adding that Paris would maintain the current level of training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Mr. Lecornu previously discussed the possibility of joint arms production with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian president’s office said in a statement that Mr. Lecornu and Mr. Zelenskyy discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of winter. Kiev fears that Russia will launch an air campaign against vital energy infrastructure this winter.
Mr. Zelenskyy also said he was grateful to French President Emmanuel Macron for the military support, especially the provision of air defense missile systems, Caesar self-propelled artillery units and Scalp cruise missiles.
Quoc Thien (according to Reuters)
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