France discusses mining with Ukraine

France has been working on the issue of minerals since last year, when President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a visit to Paris, included the issue of raw materials in his victory plan. He made a number of proposals not only to the US but also to France, franceinfo reported.

“Zelensky and his team saw that this issue of raw materials could be one of the elements of negotiations with us to create endurance. So President Trump didn't come up with this completely because the Ukrainians themselves did,” said French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.

The minerals will be used to produce military materials. France's defense industry needs a number of raw materials that will be key to making French weapons systems over the next 30 or 40 years.

“Whether we like it or not, economic issues are always intertwined with military-strategic or security issues. In any case, this is especially true for energy,” Lecornu noted.

Photo: armyinform.com.ua.