Ukraine reveals its foremost military needs for 2026 to French delegation in Kyiv

Ukraine briefed the French delegation on Russia’s current plans for new waves of mobilization and a large-scale expansion of weapons production. On 27 January, French Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Alice Rufo arrived in Ukraine’s capital. 

She held talks with Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Serhii Boiev, amid a difficult security situation and ongoing missile threats.

Ukrainian intelligence signals to partners

The Ukrainian delegation first expressed gratitude to France for its support.

“First and foremost, the Ukrainian delegation thanked France for the military, humanitarian, financial, and political assistance provided,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

It emphasized that Russia shows no readiness to halt hostilities.

“We see no signs that Russia plans to stop the war,” Ukrainian representatives stressed during the talks.

SAFE, joint plants, and drones: France is interested in Ukraine’s combat experience

The sides paid special attention to cooperation within the European SAFE program and the potential creation of new industrial projects.

France expressed interest in Ukraine’s practical experience in unmanned technologies and readiness to develop joint UAV production.

In addition, France stated its willingness to increase sanctions pressure on Russia to restrict the supply of critical components used in missile production.

Ukraine's top requests

Air defense was one of the key topics of the talks. Ukraine emphasized the critical need to replenish missile stocks for air defense systems and to involve other partner countries in meeting this demand.

The Ministry of Defense noted that countering Russian ballistic missiles remains one of the most difficult challenges.

“Countering the enemy’s ballistic missiles remains one of the biggest challenges,” the ministry said.

Currently, Ukraine intercepts Russian ballistic missiles primarily using Patriot systems, whose missiles are manufactured in the US with funding from European allies.