Ukraine and France move toward strategic partnership agreement – Ukraine's FM
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine and France are preparing to sign a strategic partnership agreement and are deepening defense cooperation, particularly in air defense, drones, and missile systems, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said during a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Kyiv.
"Today, two documents were signed. One of them is a declaration of intent for cooperation in strategically important sectors, particularly in the fields of critical raw materials, energy, and high technologies," said Sybiha.
According to him, the signing of these documents is an important step toward a strategic partnership agreement that Ukraine and France plan to conclude during a meeting of the intergovernmental commission in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister thanked France for its military assistance, the total amount of which has reached 8 billion euros.
He also said that he had a detailed discussion with Barrot on the development of defense cooperation, particularly in the areas of air defense, long-range weapons, and drones.
Sybiha noted that Ukraine's defense industry is already one of the key security factors not only for Ukraine but for the entire Euro-Atlantic community.
"We are rapidly scaling up production but need additional resources. We are capable of producing 6 billion more drones, including highly effective interceptor drones. We agreed to work together on finding the necessary resources from various sources," the minister said.
He added that French defense companies are currently participating in the Ukrainian-French Defense Forum in Kyiv.
"We expect the implementation of new initiatives, joint production of drones, air defense systems, missile weapons, as well as the localization of production in Ukraine," Sybiha stated.
Assistance to Ukraine from France
France remains one of Ukraine's key allies. It has already supplied Ukrainian forces with AMX-10RC light tanks, Caesar self-propelled howitzers, and a wide range of other military equipment.
In particular, it was reported in February this year that Ukraine received its first Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France. These aircraft are already helping defend Ukraine's skies against Russian attacks.
