France starts talks with Ukraine on mineral development earlier than USA – Defense Minister

13:42, 27.02.2025 1 min read

France has been holding talks with Ukraine since October last year on the development of Ukrainian minerals for its defense industry, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday, February 27.

In a comment to franceinfo, Lecornu explained that France had been working on this topic for several months, starting in the fall of last year, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of raw materials in his victory plan during a visit to Paris. Zelenskyy made a number of proposals not only to the US, but also to France, the minister said.

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team saw that this issue of raw materials could be one of the elements of a transaction with us. So, President Trump, he didn't completely invent it, because the Ukrainians themselves did it," Lecornu explained.

It is noted that the minerals are planned to be used for the production of military equipment.

"Our defense industry will need a certain amount of very key raw materials in our own weapons systems not next year, but for the next 30 or 40 years," Lecornu pointed out.