Ukrainian Defense Minister cancels visit to France due to security concerns

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was planning to travel to France on January 18, canceled his trip "for security reasons,” reported from RBC.

A source in the French military department said that Umerov would instead hold talks with Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu via video link. They will open a conference on the creation of the "Artillery Coalition" - a working group within the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine. The coalition will be engaged in ensuring the supply of ammunition and artillery to the Ukrainian army.

Umerov and Lecornu were going to visit the Nexter plant, which produces Caesar self-propelled artillery systems, as well as the enterprise of the developer and manufacturer of MBDA missile systems.

The day before, Lecornu said in an interview with Le Parisien that in 2024 Paris intends to produce 78 Caesar self-propelled guns for Kyiv. This installation is equipped with a 155 mm cannon and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 40 km. For the first time, Kyiv received such weapons in the spring of 2022.

Ukraine will also receive about 40 SCALP missiles and several hundred bombs, French President Emmanuel Macron promised. He added that he would visit Ukraine in February to agree on the details of a bilateral agreement on security guarantees.





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