Ukraine and the US have reached an agreement to launch a joint production of weapons, which could allow Kiev to start producing anti-aircraft defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, quoted by Reuters and Agerpres.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe BidenPhoto: Presidential Office of Ukraine / DPA / Profimedia
According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the long-term deal could create jobs and a new industrial base in Ukraine, whose economy has been devastated by Russia’s invasion and war.
“It was a very important visit to Washington, with very important results,” Zelenskiy said in a video recording published Friday morning on the website of the Kyiv presidency.
“And a long-term agreement – we will work for Ukraine to produce the necessary weapons together with the United States. Defense co-production with the United States is a historic thing,” he declared.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the USA this week, where he first went to the United Nations and then to Washington.
Kiev has stepped up its efforts to increase domestic arms production as much as possible because the 19 months of war have created a huge demand for weapons and ammunition to repel Russian attacks along a front line 1,000 km. Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian territory caused widespread damage and killed many people.
Ukraine is trying to reduce its dependence on Western military support by reforming its domestic defense industry
The Ministry for Strategic Industries, which oversees arms production in Ukraine, has signed cooperation agreements with three associations that bring together more than 2,000 American defense companies regarding possible future activities in Ukraine, Zelensky said.
“We are preparing to create a new defense ecosystem with the United States to produce weapons to strengthen our freedom and protect our lives together,” Zelenskiy said, without elaborating.
Ukraine is still very dependent on Western military support and is trying to reduce this dependence by reforming its domestic defense industry, modernizing and increasing its production of front-line armaments.
Zelensky previously said that Kiev will soon host an international forum on arms production, to which companies from more than 20 countries have been invited.
The Ukrainian government is also trying to reform its main arms company – Ukroboronprom – to improve its transparency, increase production capacity and allow it to cooperate more intensively with Western manufacturers.
Ukraine has already concluded several agreements with Central European countries for the repair of Ukrainian tanks and is trying to develop its own production of drones and missiles.
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