French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecorny will host his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in Paris on January 18 for a meeting that will focus on artillery, whose reinforcements are being sought by Kiev to defend against Russia.

It was preceded by the French minister’s trip to Kyiv last September.

The two officials are expected to open the Inaugural Conference of the “Artillery Coalition”, one of the thematic working groups of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), sponsored by France and the United States. “The goal is to join the efforts of the participating countries to help – in the short and long term – Ukraine to have an artillery force adapted to the needs of its counterattack and tomorrow’s army,” the ministry explained.

The two ministers are also expected to “visit industrial facilities and meet French industrial groups” to discuss the war economy and counter-offensive.

The meeting comes as Paris tries to show its undivided support for Kiev, whose military counter-offensive has not produced the expected results. The front has been almost frozen for several months, confirming the case for yet another protracted conflict, nearly two years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecorny will travel to Israel on January 22, following his previous visit there in November and a trip in late December to Egypt and Lebanon.

His political talks will focus on the “release of French hostages and missing persons” and “efforts to prevent a regional escalation, especially in Lebanon and the Red Sea”.