Ukrainian Defence Minister Suddenly Cancels Visit To France

What is the reason?

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has cancelled his planned visit to France on Thursday, January 18, for security reasons, the French Armed Forces Ministry said.

This is reported by Le Monde.

On this day there will be a ceremony in Paris to launch an "artillery coalition" aimed at strengthening Ukraine's ability to counter Russian aggression. It is noted that Umerov will take part in it in the format of a video conference.

This coalition, led by France and the US, is one of the components of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (Ramstein), which brings together more than 50 countries that support Kyiv.

The French Defence Ministry said in a press release that the initiative, joined by 23 countries, aims to unite efforts to help Ukraine in the short and long term to obtain artillery capabilities "adapted to the needs of the counter-offensive and the army of the future".

In the afternoon, Mr French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Umerov planned to visit Nexter's industrial sites in Bourges. Caesar self-propelled guns, which are valuable to Ukraine, are manufactured there, and then - the facility of missile manufacturer MBDA in Selle-Saint-Denis.