Military matters will be at the heart of a meeting next month ­between the French and Italian ministers to finalise a deal in the ­increasingly bitter battle for control of STX France.

The French government has opted for temporary nationalisation of STX France after the ­restructuring of its financially troubled South Korean parent, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.

The decision to scrap the original agreement — which would have seen Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and a private-equity investor partner hold a majority stake in the Saint-Nazaire yard, leaving the French government with 36% — has not gone down well in Italy.