Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Rustem Umeryov, has canceled his visit to France due to security considerations. The launch of an artillery coalition to assist Ukraine is scheduled to take place there.

According to reports by Le Monde, the cancellation of the visit has been confirmed by the French Ministry of Armed Forces. However, Umerov will participate in the launch of the artillery coalition alongside the French Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, through a video conference.

France and the United States lead the coalition, operating within the framework of the Defense Contact Group for Ukraine in the Ramstein format. As noted by French officials, the coalition aims to consolidate efforts to assist Ukraine in both the short and long term.

It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Armed Forces of France officially announced Umerov's visit on January 15. On Thursday, January 18, Umerov and Lecornu were supposed to visit industrial facilities Nexter in Bourges, where the Caesar self-propelled howitzers are manufactured, and the MBDA missile shipyard in Selles-Saint-Denis.

In December 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the launch of an artillery coalition to strengthen the Ukrainian army. At that time, the ministry emphasized that the coalition would begin its operations in January, with the launch taking place in Paris.

It was also reported that in 2024, tests were planned for the fire control system of the Caesar self-propelled artillery unit using artificial intelligence.