Ukraine's defence minister: Ukraine and partners establish Ramstein initiative on defence production
Ukraine and its partner countries decided to establish a mechanism for defence production, according to an agreement reached at the 28th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein Format) held on 4 June at NATO headquarters.
Source: Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov at a joint press conference with his UK and German counterparts, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Umierov said the idea to create this new format originated in Western capitals, which offered assistance in building a new defence industry owned by Ukrainian defence companies.
Quote: "Our partners came to me and asked if Ukrainian companies could build factories for producing their cutting-edge products in their countries. Our partners said that they are willing to fully pay for all the production from these factories."
Details: The defence minister stated that output will be sent to Ukraine for as long as the war continues. Umierov added that the initiative has since expanded during discussions and now involves mutual investment. He said that under this initiative, Ukrainian producers can invest in partner countries, while companies from partner states can build megafactories in Ukraine.
This is currently a new idea that is still under development. Umierov said it doesn't yet have an official name and they are calling it the Ramstein Investment to Industries Initiative.
He did not specify which countries had expressed interest in such investment cooperation. However, one aspect of the initiative – establishing production in Ukraine – received public support from German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who expressed support for producing long-range weapons in Ukraine.
Background:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged partners at the Ramstein meeting to invest more in Ukraine's defence industry.
This marks the first time the US secretary of defence has not attended a Ramstein-format meeting.
European Pravda sources say the Pentagon chief will also not attend the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on 5 June.
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