Delegation of France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs visits Ukraine’s air defence combat positions

A delegation of France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, led by Minister Catherine Vautrin, visited the combat positions of anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov, she observed Ukraine’s air defence in action during the repelling of a massive russian attack.

The parties then, together with the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, visited the positions of air defence units. The visit was conducted amid another large-scale missile and drone strike targeting critical infrastructure. The French delegation saw firsthand the scale of the threats Ukraine confronts daily.

russia continues systematic missile and drone attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine counters these attacks by continuously strengthening its air defence system and developing its own defence technologies.

During the visit to the positions, the French side was shown Ukrainian service members in action and the weapons already employed to protect the sky, including SAMP/T systems, Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft, and Mistral air defence systems.

Minister Catherine Vautrin personally met with and spoke to Ukrainian service members.

Ukraine continues to expand the production of various UAV types while advancing innovative solutions in the military domain. One of the key prospective areas involves advancing a missile programme in cooperation with international partners.

As noted by Mykhailo Fedorov, despite sanctions pressure, russia retains the capacity to produce missiles and drones. In these circumstances, expanding joint production and defence cooperation with partners is vital to strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities and Europe’s security.