Ukraine relying on increased weapons production abroad
The Ukrainian government is relying on increased production in collaboration with European partners for the supply of weapons and ammunition, the country's defence minister said on Wednesday.
Rustem Umerov said there is also interest in having Ukrainian arms companies manufacture newly developed systems outside the country. He made his comments after a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group - also known as the Ramstein Group - in Brussels.
These weapons should be delivered to Ukraine for the duration of the war, he added.
Umerov, who reported on the meeting's outcomes together with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and the British Secretary of Defence John Healey, said: "We will build drones, missiles, ammunition and other weapons together. Ukrainian drones have changed the battlefield. And now they will change how Ramstein countries prepare for future threats."
He added that the joint production represents a strategic shift.
Pistorius had already promised increased efforts for more air defence systems and electromagnetic warfare before the meeting, namely protection and disruption of communication and weapon deployments. Other countries are participating in these initiatives.
Healey condemned the ongoing Russian attacks on cities and civilians in Ukraine despite peace efforts: "Ukraine, the United States, all of us here are calling for a ceasefire. We are for peace. Putin continues the war, so the work of this contact group becomes even more important. We must step up. We must never step back."
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