France to Establish Military Equipment Production in Ukraine
France’s Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, has announced plans to establish partnerships between French and Ukrainian companies in the field of military equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The objective is to manufacture components and potentially even ammunition within Ukraine.
According to Lecornu, the plan is for the first group of companies involved in military equipment production to become operational in the coming summer. The companies expected to participate in this initiative include KNDS, a tank manufacturer, Nexter, a French weaponry and tool manufacturer, as well as Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann from Germany.
This announcement comes just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would consider all options to support Ukraine following the ongoing conflict with Russia that has caused numerous casualties and shifted the regional dynamics.
In a surprising move, President Macron refused to rule out the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine, generating astonishment among European nations. Macron has also called on Ukraine’s allies to increase their support for the former Soviet republic against Russia.
The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to Macron’s statements, saying that the French leader is escalating France’s direct involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
The French Parliament plans to vote on the country’s strategy regarding Ukraine, including the bilateral security agreement signed with Kyiv in February. The non-binding debates and voting will take place on March 12th in the National Assembly and on March 13th in the Senate.
On March 7th, Macron met with Moldova’s President Maia Sandu and expressed France’s unwavering support for the former Soviet country amid increasing tensions between Chisinau and the pro-Russian separatist region. During the meeting, the two leaders signed a bilateral defense agreement and discussed an economic roadmap, although specific details were not disclosed.
France also organized a video conference with 28 countries, including Ukraine, to discuss the initiatives raised at the international summit on Ukraine hosted by Macron the previous week. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba participated in this conference.
Business Today will continue to monitor the developments in France’s military cooperation with Ukraine as the situation in the region evolves.
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