French arms companies to manufacture directly on Ukrainian soil: Defence Minister

France is planning to have some of its arms manufacturers produce much-needed military equipment directly on Ukrainian soil to help the country in its war against Russia, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Friday, France 24 reports. "Three French companies will be setting up partnerships with Ukrainian companies, in particular in the drone and land equipment sectors, to produce spare parts on Ukrainian soil, and perhaps ammunition in the future," he said.

 

"The idea is to have the first production units running this summer," Lecornu added.

 

He hinted the companies involved would include tank maker KNDS, the holding structure formed by France's Nexter and Germany's Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann.

 

The announcement came a day after President Emmanuel Macron said France would not rule out any option to support Ukraine two years into Russia's invasion, according to the leaders of several major French political parties.

 

Speaking after the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, the party chiefs said the talks with Macron left them concerned. Some accused him of using the conflict to boost his coalition's standing ahead of crucial European elections this summer.

 

The president last week stunned many in Europe by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine, pointing to Russia's hardening stance. 

 

Earlier this week Macron urged Ukraine's allies not to be "cowards" in supporting the ex-Soviet country to fight off the Russian invasion.

 

Some party leaders on Thursday said Macron advocated a "no limits" approach to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Weighing in from Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Macron "continues to raise the level of France's direct involvement" in the Ukraine war.