France is determined to jointly strengthen Ukraine's ability to manufacture weapons systems on Ukrainian territory, said the newly appointed French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, who arrived in Kyiv.

“We are determined to jointly strengthen Ukraine’s ability to manufacture weapons systems on its territory and are ready to come to your aid in this area,” he said during a joint statement to the press with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday.

He also recalled the visit of Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu with French defense companies to Ukraine.

“We will continue to try to improve the legal framework so that this cooperation can develop even better,” Sejourne added.

The minister also noted that he knows how much Ukraine values French technologies supplied to counter Russian aggression.

“We see how the Russian Federation is hitting civilian infrastructure and houses, contrary to all provisions of international law. It alone bears responsibility for this escalation, which we strongly condemn. Referring to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, I want to assure that France will stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as long as necessary. This attitude is unchanged,” he assured.