President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and discussed with him further steps to strengthen the defense capability of Ukraine with the support of France, in particular the possibility of joint production of weapons, the press service of the president reports.

“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, who is visiting our country. The Head of State acknowledged France's comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. He highly appreciated President Emmanuel Macron's personal role in supporting international initiatives of our state and decisions to strengthen Ukrainian defense forces,” the message posted on the website of the President of Ukraine says.

"I want to express my special thanks to French President Macron for the fact that all our agreements have yielded a powerful result in strengthening the Ukrainian army," Zelenskyy said.

As reported, During the meeting, further steps to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities with the support of France were discussed in detail, including the possibility of initiating joint production of certain types of weapons. “The Head of State noted the effectiveness of military assistance provided by France, in particular the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile systems, Caesar self-propelled artillery systems and SCALP-EG long-range missiles. Special attention was given to strengthening Ukraine's air defense, especially crucial in the lead-up to the winter period,” the message reads.

Zelenskyy also awarded Lecornu the Order of Merit of II class, for his significant personal contribution to strengthening intergovernmental cooperation, support of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity.