The 'free' period has expired, Ukraine plans to become the world's new weapons production center

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he believes that in the future Ukraine will become a new center for producing high-quality military products in Europe and a new arms depot for the world.

EU - Nghị viện châu Âu thông qua việc thúc đẩy mua chung vũ khí. (Nguồn: Shutterstock)

Unable to rely indefinitely on Western arms supplies, Ukraine plans to become a new global military production hub. (Source: Shutterstock)

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he believes that in the future Ukraine will become a new center for the production of high-quality military products in Europe and a new arms depot for the world.

The head of the Ukrainian government spoke about this goal at the first International Defence Industry Forum currently taking place in Kyiv – an arms fair that has attracted around 252 defense companies from more than 30 countries.

"Everyone is aware of the risks, but those with a strategic mindset also understand that Ukraine will become a new center for military production in Europe. Currently, we are cooperating with partner countries to restore Western military equipment."

In addition, plans to create a closed-loop production cycle for weapons, military equipment, and ammunition in Ukraine are also being actively pursued.

"We are establishing joint ventures and service centers, gradually integrating Ukraine's defense industry into the industrial production environment and industries of our partner countries," Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal revealed the process.

Mr. Shmyhal analyzed that, more than ever, Ukraine needs the efficient operation of state-owned defense enterprises, factories, and offices. To this end, Ukraine's state-owned defense corporation Ukroboronprom was transformed into the Ukrainian Defense Industry Joint Stock Company.

"But we need more than that. That is why this Forum is being organized at the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The goal of this event is to connect world arms manufacturers in Ukraine with Ukrainian arms manufacturers for the purpose of jointly developing promising joint projects," Shmyhal outlined the objective.

In 2024, the Ukrainian government plans to allocate approximately 48 billion UAH (about $1.3 billion) to fund the Drone Army project. A similar amount will be dedicated to the production of weapons and ammunition.

In fact, "The first Defense Industry Forum in Kyiv opened a new era in the development of Ukraine's defense industry. The figures achieved exceeded all expectations." This was the assessment of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

In a related statement posted on Instagram , Dmytro Kuleba said, "Now, we are not just bringing foreign weapons to Ukraine. We are integrating Ukraine's defense industry into NATO's defense industry."

“We are establishing mutually beneficial partnerships and using advanced technologies to produce the most powerful weapons in the necessary quantities ourselves. This ensures that, on the front lines, soldiers have everything they need to defend themselves and destroy the enemy. It also ensures that, after victory, the weapons created by Ukraine and its partners will be the most competitive in the world,” Kuleba wrote.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also cited figures that, according to him, exceeded all expectations. “I am very grateful to the 252 companies from more than 30 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia that came to Kyiv to participate in our Defence Industry Forum,” Kuleba said.

The head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry also revealed that, in order to organize this Forum, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry worked closely with the Ministry of Strategic Industries and the Ministry of Defense. They worked around the clock to bring together as many defense companies as possible, to ensure that the governments of the countries they represented provided comprehensive support for joint projects with Ukraine, including attracting the participation of NATO and the EU in this process.

"This was one of the key points in the international contacts of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials. Everyone worked towards this goal and we succeeded," Minister Kuleba confidently stated.

At the Forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced the formation of the Defense Industry Union and expressed his readiness to build "the world's new arsenal" in the country. Zelensky emphasized that 13 prominent companies had signed a declaration on the formation of the union, and according to him, these companies are ready to build "the world's new arsenal" together with Ukraine. Furthermore, the Ukrainian President also left open the possibility for military equipment and weapons manufacturers from around the world to join the union.

Confident in the success of this idea, in a statement, President Zelensky affirmed, “this is the right time and place to create a major military center.” “Ukraine is ready to offer special conditions to companies willing to develop defense production in partnership with our country.”

Observers commented that the "Kyiv Arms Fair" is taking place against the backdrop of Western militaries, particularly in Europe, reaching the limit of the weapons they can supply to Ukraine. Unable to rely indefinitely on a limited source, Kyiv is seeking to develop its own arms industry.

Meanwhile, with military reserves that could support Ukraine beginning to dwindle, Western governments are also giving the green light to encourage the private sector to build direct partnerships with Kyiv.

Politico recently revealed that French and German defense companies are establishing local shops in Ukraine to maintain weapons. This is seen as the first step towards domestic weapons production in the country.

Over the past week, French officials have begun to send a new message: "Paris can no longer continue supplying weapons to Kyiv," and instead will propose a new form of cooperation regarding weapons and ammunition.

During the first International Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, along with about 20 defense contractors from the country, including names like Thales, MBDA, Nexter, and Arquus, visited Kyiv to discuss cooperation with Ukrainian officials.

Meanwhile, Germany's Federal Cartel Office has also given the green light to a joint venture between German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and Ukraine's defense industry group.

The changes in France and Germany come after British arms manufacturer BAE Systems and the Swedish government had taken similar steps.

In August, Ukraine and Sweden signed a declaration of intent to strengthen cooperation “in the production, operation, training and maintenance” of the Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) platform, manufactured by a Swedish subsidiary of BAE Systems. A few days later, BAE Systems announced it would establish a local agency to increase production of the 105mm light artillery…

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