Ukraine's defence minister: Ukraine and partners establish Ramstein initiative on defence production
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.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Putin says Russia's hypersonic missile has entered service and will be deployed in Belarus
President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles and reaffirmed its plans to deploy them to ally Belarus later this year. Sitting alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Valaam Island near St. Petersburg, Putin said the military already has selected deployment sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile. 'Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely we will be done with it before the year's end,' Putin said, adding that the first series of Oreshniks and their systems have been produced and entered military service. Russia first used the Oreshnik, which is Russian for 'hazelnut tree,' against Ukraine in November, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Putin has praised the Oreshnik's capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and are so powerful that the use of several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack. He warned the West that Moscow could use it against Ukraine's NATO allies who allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia. Russia's missile forces chief has declared that Oreshnik, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, has a range allowing it to reach all of Europe. Intermediate-range missiles can fly between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). Such weapons were banned under a Soviet-era treaty that Washington and Moscow abandoned in 2019. Last fall, Putin and Lukashenko signed a treaty giving Moscow's security guarantees to Belarus, including the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons to help repel any aggression. The pact follows the Kremlin's revision of its nuclear doctrine, which for the first time placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella amid tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for over 30 years and has relied on Kremlin subsidies and support, allowed Russia to use his country's territory to send troops into Ukraine in 2022 and to host some of its tactical nuclear weapons. Russia hasn't disclosed how many such weapons were deployed, but Lukashenko said in December that his country currently has several dozen. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which has a 1,084-kilometer (673-mile) border with Ukraine, would allow Russian aircraft and missiles to reach potential targets there more easily and quickly if Moscow decides to use them. It also extends Russia's capability to target several NATO allies in Eastern and Central Europe. The revamped nuclear doctrine that Putin signed last fall formally lowered the threshold for Russia's use of its nuclear weapons. The document says Moscow could use nuclear weapons 'in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction' against Russia or its allies, as well as 'in the event of aggression' against Russia and Belarus with conventional weapons that threaten 'their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.'
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump fires BLS chief after weak jobs report
President Trump said Friday the U.S. is positioning two nuclear submarines in 'appropriate regions' near Russia, saying the move corresponds with threatening rhetoric from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close adviser to current Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a social media post, Trump cited Medvedev's 'highly provocative statements' and said the nuclear submarines are being moved to the region 'just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.' Ukraine is set to receive its first two Patriot air defense systems 'in the coming days' as part of the deal the U.S. government struck with NATO last month. A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation this week calling for tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, as Putin continues to rebuff Trump's calls for an end to the war. The Hill's Laura Kelly writes: 'The bill's passage faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, where GOP leaders in the House and Senate have deferred to Trump over which legislation makes it to the floor. The administration has slashed foreign aid so far, and administration officials and some GOP lawmakers regularly rally against sending U.S. military and other assistance abroad.' MEANWHILE… Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited an aid-distribution site in Gaza on Friday, as international pressure grows on Israel to address the humanitarian and hunger crisis in the enclave. Witkoff was joined by Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The White House said Witkoff and Huckabee will brief Trump on their findings, setting the stage for a U.S. plan to assist in distributing aid to the war-ravaged region. Trump this week said there is 'real starvation' in Gaza, breaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Washington, Democrats and some MAGA-aligned Republicans are urging the U.S. to cut Israel loose. On Wednesday, more than half the of the Democratic caucus in the Senate voted in favor of resolutions to block U.S. military sales to Israel. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) missed the vote while she was in New York taping a segment on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Slotkin released a statement Thursday saying she would have voted to oppose U.S. military sales to Israel. 'I have been a strong supporter of the Jewish State of Israel my whole life. And I still am,' Slotkin posted on X. 'But despite the fact that Hamas began this bloody round of conflict—and refuses to release the hostages—the images of emaciated children are hard to turn away from.' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Friday 'the time has come' to recognize a Palestinian state. Last week, France became the first Group of Seven (G7) nation to say it would recognize a Palestinian state. Leaders in Canada and Britain said they'd follow suit if Israel's war on Hamas does not end soon. Axios reports that Witkoff and Netanyahu this week discussed the need to secure a comprehensive deal for 'the release of all the hostages [held by Hamas], the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.'
an hour ago
Smithsonian removes references to Trump's impeachments from 'Limits of Presidential Power' exhibit -- for now
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History removed references to President Donald Trump's two impeachment proceedings from an exhibit on the "Limits of Presidential Power," a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. The spokesperson said a future exhibit will include all presidential impeachments. The museum decided to "restore" the section of a permanent exhibition to its "2008 appearance" because various topics had not been updated since that year and therefore they removed references to Trump, the Smithsonian spokesperson told ABC News on Thursday. Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice. "In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the 'Limits of Presidential Power' section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed. The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion," the spokesperson said. The exhibit now only includes references to the impeachment proceedings against Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1973 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Nixon is the only U.S. president to resign following the commencement of impeachment proceedings. While serving as the 45th President of the United States, Trump was first impeached twice by Congress during his first term – with the first proceeding beginning on Dec. 18, 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction in connection with an alleged quid pro quo call with the Ukrainian president. Trump was acquitted when the trial concluded in the Senate on Feb. 5, 2020. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Trump was impeached for a second time on Jan. 13, 2021, on the charge of incitement of insurrection, but was again acquitted on Feb. 13, 2021, days after he left office after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. Trump denied all wrongdoing in both of his impeachment cases. Following Trump's first impeachment proceeding, the Smithsonian released a statement on Jan. 21, 2020, about the collection of objects regarding Trump's impeachment. The statement said that as the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History "actively engages," with history, curators are following Trump's impeachment trial and will determine "which objects best represent these historic events for inclusion in the national collection." The Smithsonian spokesperson on Thursday said the museum "installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump" in Sept. 2021, which was "intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025." "A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000, requires a significant amount of time and funding to update and renew. A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments," the spokesperson added, in explaining the removal of Trump references. An online description of the exhibit of the Smithsonian's website still referenced Trump's two impeachments as of Friday morning. The removal of references of Trump's impeachments was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday. The report cited "a person familiar with the exhibit plans, who was not authorized to discuss them publicly," who told the Post that "the change came about as part of a content review that the Smithsonian agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director." Asked by ABC News about this claim, the Smithsonian spokesperson did not immediately comment. The Smithsonian affirmed its autonomy from outside influences in a June 9 statement after President Trump announced that he fired National Portrait Gallery head Kim Sajet for allegedly being a "highly partisan person." Sajet resigned on June 13, a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. "Throughout its history, the Smithsonian has been governed and administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary. The board is entrusted with the governance and independence of the Institution, and the board appoints a Secretary to manage the Institution. All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board. Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian," the statement said. "The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values," the Smithsonian added. Trump signed an executive order in March placing Vice President J.D. Vance in charge of supervising efforts to "remove improper ideology" from all areas of the Smithsonian and targeted funding for programs that advance "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology."
