2023-09-29 10:16:56
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu in kyiv on September 28, 2023. Photograph released by the Ukrainian presidency. AFP / PRESS SERVICE OF THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY
On Thursday, September 28, the French defense industry engaged in an unprecedented promotional exercise in kyiv. The Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, accompanied by a delegation of around twenty industrialists, visited the Ukrainian capital on the occasion of the first edition of an arms forum with the aim of revising the modalities of French military support for Ukraine, while the war lasts, and, in France as with the other Western allies, stocks are dwindling.
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“The transfers [gratuites] cannot be done infinitely”thus conceded the minister during this visit, where he was notably able to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and his new counterpart, Rustem Umerov, appointed on September 6 following the ousting of his predecessor for corruption. “We have reached a moment where we have to pivot. Industrial partnership must become the norm, transfer the exception”we specify in the minister’s entourage.
And « pivot » far from being obvious for French industrialists. Despite its status as the world’s third largest arms exporter, France is not in the best position in Ukraine compared to the United States, the United Kingdom or Germany, which have invested in the field for years. These countries also made quicker choices in terms of diplomatic support for kyiv or arms deliveries at the start of the war, and are therefore in a position of strength today.
“Don’t be naive”
In this context, several large European groups have announced, since the summer, that they are preparing to open factories on Ukrainian soil. This is the case of the British BAE Systems for the production of light weapons or the German conglomerate Rheinmetall for the repair of tanks. These announcements illustrate the shift in support for Ukraine.
While Kiev ultimately aims to have one of the leading armies in Europe while developing its own defense industry to protect itself from a new attack from Russia, opinions are divided among industrialists on the possibilities. to enter the Ukrainian defense market. This market in full restructuring remains very porous to corruption and, despite the voluntarism of Mr. Lecornu, certain bosses are questioning the interest in investing in the face of the risks of having their know-how pillaged.
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“You have to come, but we must not be naive”observes one of them, on condition of anonymity. “If it is not us who give them [les équipements], there will be others »for his part tempers Raoul Barthez, boss of Dixi, which produces rockets for artillery ammunition and has already initiated approaches to the Ukrainians. “We decide what we share or not”he adds. “War does not completely crush the duty of vigilance”for his part affirmed Mr. Lecornu.
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