French Government Approached Carmaker About Collaborative Project

Longtime French carmaker Renault may become involved in a project led by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to produce drones in Ukraine, the company confirmed recently. The project may also include an unnamed French defense company, but no details have been released.

Renault said in a statement, “Discussions have taken place, but no decision has been made at this stage, as we are awaiting clarification on this project from the ministry.”

The French government with 15% is the largest shareholder in Renault, who said it may participate in the project. The production lines would be located in Ukraine, either “a few dozen or a hundreds of kilometers from the front,” according to a report  by French media.

Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces, publicly confirmed the plan in an interview with French media on June 6, saying, “A major French car company—I won't name it because it's up to them to announce it—will partner with a French defense SME to equip production lines in Ukraine to produce drones.” 

The type of drones to be manufactured was not specified, and they will largely be intended for Ukrainian forces, “but we will also provide them to our own French armed forces to ensure ongoing tactical and operational training that reflects the reality," he added.

In the interview, Lecornu stated, "We are going to embark on a completely unprecedented partnership," describing it as a "win-win" partnership with Kyiv.

FMI:  www.renaultgroup.com/