Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhii Boiev held talks with the Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of France and Veterans Affairs, Alice Rufo, during her working visit to Kyiv.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on January 27.

“First of all, the Ukrainian delegation thanked France for its military, humanitarian, financial, and political assistance”, — the statement said.

Serhii Boiev emphasized the importance of the visit given the difficult security situation in Kyiv and Ukraine as a whole.

For her part, Alice Rufo stated that she is determined to intensify cooperation in a number of areas and make France’s support for Ukraine more effective.

A representative of Ukrainian intelligence briefed the French delegation on the operational situation at the front, as well as Russia’s plans for mobilization and increasing weapons production.

“There are no signs that Russia plans to stop hostilities. Ukraine needs partner support in 2026 more than ever. The main emphasis is on air defense: we must protect our cities”, — Serhii Boiev stated.

The French side expressed readiness to strengthen sanctions pressure to limit the supply of critically important components for the production of Russian missiles.

“One of the most important topics was cooperation in the field of air defense, replenishing Ukraine’s stocks with critically important missiles, and involving other partner countries to cover this need. Countering the enemy’s ballistic missiles remains one of the biggest challenges”, — the Ministry of Defense noted.

Separately, the Ukrainian and French delegations discussed cooperation under the SAFE program and the possibility of creating new industrial projects. France is interested in Ukraine’s experience in UAVs and is determined to develop joint production.