The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Rustem Umierov, appealed to the world's leading defence companies and technological giants to invest in weapons production in Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Rustem Umierov called on world defence companies to cooperate with Ukraine to produce weapons.
- Ukraine is actively expanding weapons production and cooperates with leading defence companies.
- Partnerships with global giants will allow Ukraine access to the latest technologies.
- The Ukrainian army should improve its weapons through cooperation with international partners.
- Investments in the military industry will contribute to Ukraine's national security and economic development.
Ukraine must create a robust military industry — Umerov
At the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian Security Summit, Umerov met with representatives of the world's leading defence companies and technology giants, including BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Boeing, Saab, Google and Oracle.
He urged them to invest in weapons production in Ukraine and create joint defence enterprises. This partnership has great potential: Ukraine will gain access to the latest technologies, and companies will have the opportunity to develop advanced weapons.
Rustem Umierov
Defence minister
He emphasised that creating a robust military industry is a matter of national security for Ukraine.
We already cooperate with these companies, and our soldiers successfully test their weapons, equipment and technologies on the battlefield, providing unique feedback that allows us to improve products. Our focus is production in Ukraine or the involvement of Ukrainian companies in cooperation with these global giants.
Weapons production in Ukraine
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine has increased its weapons production.
So, more than 500 state and private defence companies work in the country. Ukraine also produces weapons together with partners at their facilities.
Ukraine is scaling up ammunition production. The government has increased profitability for Ukrainian enterprises. As noted by the Ministry of Defence, the priority in weapons for the Armed Forces remains air defence equipment and missiles. Also, the Ukrainian army needs artillery shells, and EW means.
On April 16, the Kingdom of Denmark announced the allocation of 200 million Danish kroner (28.5 million dollars) for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the Armed Forces from Ukrainian manufacturers. In total, approximately DKK 2.2 billion was allocated.
This is the first unprecedented decision — when military products for the Defense Forces of Ukraine are purchased from Ukrainian manufacturers at the expense of another state.
Such a decision is extremely important both for the Ukrainian army and for the Ukrainian economy. The production capacity of the Ukrainian defense industry significantly exceeds the purchasing capacity of the state budget.
