Ukraine, France preparing strategic partnership agreement – FM Sybiha

This was announced by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a joint press conference in Kyiv with France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Today, two documents were signed, one of which is a declaration of intent for cooperation in strategically important sectors — particularly in critical raw materials, energy, and high technologies. Signing today’s documents is an important step toward a strategic partnership agreement, which we plan to conclude during the intergovernmental commission meeting in Kyiv,” said Sybiha.

He thanked France for its military aid, which has reached a total of EUR 8 billion.

Sybiha said he and his French counterpart had a detailed discussion about expanding defense cooperation, especially in air defense systems, long-range weaponry, and drones.

“Ukraine’s defense industry is already one of the key security factors not only for Ukraine but for the entire Euro-Atlantic community. We are rapidly scaling up production but need additional resources. We are capable of producing 6 billion more drones, including highly effective interceptor drones. We agreed to work together to find the necessary resources from various sources,” said the minister.

He also noted that French defense companies are currently participating in a Ukrainian-French defense forum in Kyiv.

“We expect the launch of new initiatives, joint production of drones, air defense systems, missile weaponry, as well as the localization of production in Ukraine,” Sybiha added.

The two sides also discussed the upcoming heating season in Ukraine and French support to help minimize the negative effects for the population.

As Ukrinform reported, upon arrival in Kyiv on Monday morning, Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited areas in the Lukianivka district that were hit during the latest Russian attack.