By KYIV. Dec 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – On Wednesday, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu as part of his visit to Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s website, during the talks, the sides discussed the issue of further consolidation of efforts to repel the Russian armed aggression and the consistent implementation of bilateral projects to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense forces.
"Today we have focused on the list of Ukraine’s priorities in order to win this war. This concerns air defense, anti-missile, anti-drone defense to protect our skies, increasing the amount of heavy 155-caliber artillery and ammunition. After all, the powerful Caesar guns that are used on the battlefield need in high-quality shells. We also need armored vehicles to protect personnel. In addition, we agreed to start a new training program for our Air Force officers to prepare and master the new air defense system, which we will report later," Reznikov said.
According to Lecornu, France will continue to support Ukraine in the struggle for independence and restoration of territorial integrity.
"We discussed the military needs of Ukraine in the coming weeks and 2023. France has chosen several areas for assistance to Ukraine. Firstly, this is the transfer of French Armed Forces equipment to the Ukrainian army at the beginning of next year. The second direction of assistance is the European Peace Facility, which is important instrument, strength and power of Europe to support Ukraine. France makes a large contribution to this Facility, EUR 500 million. And the third direction is again a fund in France, through which Ukraine can address an order to the French military-industrial complex," he said.
According to him, the experience of Ukrainian defenders is also important for the French Armed Forces. During joint military exercises, there is also an exchange of experience.
"Currently, there is a constant exchange of information between the armed forces of our countries. In the future, cooperation between France and Ukraine will be as effective as possible. We managed to unite the world in support of Ukraine," Lecornu said.
The interlocutors also touched upon the issues of the accounting system and transparency of military assistance. The representatives of the foreign delegation were presented with a briefing on the implementation of the Logistics Functional Area Services (LOGFAS), which allows monitoring the supply and movement of Western weapons to Ukraine.
The ministers also discussed the rehabilitation and treatment of Ukrainian servicemen in health facilities in France and the start of long-term projects with French defense companies.
According to the Defense Ministry, Lecornu became the 23rd foreign minister of defense to visit Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24.
