French ministers travel to Kyiv to boost defence ties and joint tech projects

On 11-12 September, a French team led by Alice Rufo, Benjamin Haddad and Muriel Lacoue-Labarthe travelled to Ukraine to cement bilateral defence cooperation ahead of the winter months. Accompanying them were representatives from French companies Alta Ares, Delair, Eutelsat, Harmattan AI, Helsing and UnseenLabs, who met Ukrainian industry leaders in the drone and space arenas. The mission builds on President Emmanuel Macron’s July meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and promotes the Start-up Défence initiative that unites the French armed forces, defence startups and public authorities.

In talks, the delegation stressed the need to speed up French and European aid, increase pressure on Russia’s war effort, combat the shadow fleet and implement the Anti-Ballistic Coalition. Ukrainian officials Igor Zhovka, Ihor Klymenko and Deputy Defence Minister Sergiy Boyev hosted the French side.