Air defense, aircraft and defense cooperation with France: Umerov met with Lecornu
During the meeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu discussed strengthening defense cooperation.
Ukrainian Defense Minister posted this on Facebook, as reported by Ukrinform.
According to Umerov, the Ukrainian delegation at the meeting was represented by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the Chief of the Main Logistics Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Mykola Shevtsov, and the Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration, Oleksandr Balanutsa. A number of important issues were discussed.
"The main focus of our dialogue was on strengthening defense cooperation and coordinating efforts to counter Russian aggression," Ukrainian Defense Minister said.
Major General Horbatiuk provided a detailed briefing on the current operational situation on the battlefield, and Lieutenant General Shevtsov outlined the critical needs for strengthening Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Ukraine's defense chief, "air defense systems and interceptors remain our priority as Russia continues its missile terror against our cities. We have to resolutely respond to these terrorist acts; therefore, it is especially important to expand Ukraine's long-range capabilities."
"Other critical priorities include combat aircraft, electronic warfare, unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery, and ammunition," the Defense Minister emphasized.
He added that special attention was paid “to the development of cooperation between the Ukrainian and French defense industries. The creation of joint ventures and co-financing of production were discussed. We have specific projects, an action plan, and deadlines. Our teams are already actively working on it "
Rustem Umerov thanked France for its constant support of Ukraine and joint work to save human lives and bring a just peace closer.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, during his visit to the USA, met with American military and security experts and held negotiations on the joint production of weapons.