Ukraine, France defense ministers meet: radar, Aster-30 missile procurement top priority
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov discussed priority cooperation tracks to strengthen Ukrainian air defense with France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin.
"We discussed cooperation priorities to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and protect Ukrainian cities as early as this year. One of the important vectors of cooperation is accelerating the procurement of radars. They are a critically important component of air defense and increase the efficiency of detecting airborne threats. Special attention was paid to Aster-30 missiles—this is one of the urgent priorities for strengthening Ukrainian air defense," Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
The parties also focused on developing cooperation to reinforce Ukraine’s anti-ballistic missile defense.
Separately, they discussed the prospects for localizing the production of French weaponry in Ukraine and implementing joint defense-industrial projects.
Fedorov thanked France for its leadership, consistent support for Ukraine, readiness to work on solutions that strengthen defense capabilities, and its principled stance on countering the Russian shadow fleet, which continues to finance the war.