France in talks with Ukraine for access to natural resources to support military needs

France is in active negotiations with Ukraine over securing access to the country’s natural resources to bolster its military-industrial complex (MIC), particularly amid increasing US interests in Ukraine’s subsoil resources.

The discussions come against the backdrop of the growing involvement of the United States in Ukraine and its claims to Ukrainian resources, Caliber.Az reports via French media.

French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu revealed these talks during a radio interview, emphasizing France’s need for access to key raw materials to support its defence industry over the next few decades.

Lecornu stated, “We are not involved in discussions with the United States, but I discussed this issue together with my Ukrainian colleague, based on the needs of France. Our defence industry will need a certain amount of key raw materials for our own weapons systems, not in 2026, but over the next 30 or 40 years, and we need to diversify that."

The minister clarified that France’s involvement is not aimed at seeking financial returns from its investments in Ukraine’s defence but rather securing vital materials necessary for France’s defence capabilities in the long term.

Lecornu pointed out that the issue of natural resources had been raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his "victory plan" during a visit to Paris last autumn. According to Lecornu, Zelenskyy made proposals not only to the United States but also to France concerning the potential use of natural resources to offset the financial burden on European taxpayers who have been providing aid to Ukraine.

“It may have gone unnoticed, but Zelenskyy himself raised the issue of natural resources in his ‘victory plan’ in Paris last autumn, making a number of proposals not only to the US but also to France,” Lecornu said. He added that the resource issue had become part of a broader deal between Ukraine and Western nations, alongside the freezing of Russian assets, to help reduce the financial strain of supporting Ukraine’s defence efforts.

Lecornu also suggested that the idea of accessing natural resources was not something initiated by the US, but rather a proposal from Ukraine itself, saying, “So Trump didn’t come up with this out of nowhere; it’s actually something the Ukrainians themselves suggested.”

Lecornu has suggested that, France’s nuclear deterrent could extend to defending other EU nations.

He stressed that France alone controls its nuclear arsenal, with the president making any decision on its use to protect the country’s "vital interests."

Lecornu also recalled that past French leaders, including Charles de Gaulle and Emmanuel Macron, have acknowledged a European dimension to these interests. He cited a 1964 directive from de Gaulle, stating that an attack on West Germany or the Benelux nations would threaten France’s security.

By Vafa Guliyeva