French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu visited Kyiv on Thursday and discussed the possibility of joint weapons production during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president's office said.

"I discussed with your ministers very specifically how French industry can help you. We, of course, will continue this work," Lecornu said in a video published by Zelenskiy on Telegram messenger.

Ukraine to launch joint weapons production with US: Zelenskiy

Lecornu and Zelenskiy discussed bolstering Ukraine's air defences ahead of winter, the president's office said in a statement. Kyiv fears Russia will conduct a campaign of air strikes on critical energy infrastructure this winter.

Ukraine's president said he was grateful to French President Emmanuel Macron for military assistance.

He highlighted in particular the supply of anti-aircraft missile systems, Caesar self-propelled artillery units and Scalp cruise missiles.