The Ministry is discussing a new visit.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov did not go to France to the opening of the Artillery Coalition due to his participation in the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on January 17. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry warned in advance about the possibility of postponing the visit .
The Minister of Defense is taking part in the opening event of the Artillery Coalition remotely via video link. Also, teams from the Ukrainian and French ministries are working on a new date for the visit, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported.
“At the opening of the Coalition artillery in Paris on January 18, 2024, the Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Minister Ivan Gavrilyuk was represented by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine,” the Ministry of Defense added.
In the morning, French media reported that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov canceled today visit to France. The reason for the cancellation was cited as safety concerns. It was reported that Umerov will take part in a video conference with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornet on the topic of the “artillery coalition” – one of the areas of work of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, also known as “Ramstein”. The artillery coalition brings together the efforts of 23 countries among about 50 that are part of the Ramstein format.