Ukraine and Britain have signed a framework agreement to cooperate in the defence and arms production sector.
The document was signed at a military industry conference in Kyiv.
The conference was attended by about 30 British defence companies who visited to discuss potential joint ventures with Ukrainian weapons and defence producers.
The new Framework Arrangement follows the historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation, which was signed by the British Prime Minister and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in January 2024.
Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries, Alexander Mykolaiovych Kamyshin, told reporters after the signing ceremony, “It is the first intergovernmental agreement on cooperation.”
He added, “Today British companies are working with Ukrainian companies and looking for opportunities to produce more weapons jointly.”
“It was the UK that was the first country to sign the Security Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine and it was British defence companies that were the first to open their offices here after the start of the great war.
“Our partnership is developing and today we are one step closer to British manufacturers being the first to start producing their weapons in Ukraine.”
Alexander Kamyshin
Greg Hands, UK Minister for trade policy, who accompanied the business delegation and signed the agreement, said that he hoped the agreement would bring gains for Ukraine on the battlefield and also benefit its battered economy in the longer term.
Hands asserted, “The UK has led the world in support of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.”
“Now is the time to double down on our support so Ukraine not only wins the war but emerges from it as a strong and resilient country. Defence is a critical element of that which is why we’re facilitating further defence trade between our nations with this arrangement.
“Our trade missions, alongside this signing, are testament to the UK’s integral role in boosting Ukraine’s war-time economy and facilitating their long-term recovery.”
Greg Hands
Additionally, UK Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge noted, “This is the latest demonstration of the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine, as they continue to fight back against Putin’s illegal invasion.”
“This is now a war of industrial production and so it is key that we unleash the capability, capacity, ingenuity and innovation of our respective industrial bases,” he said.
He stressed, “The Framework Arrangement will augment this joint activity, further supporting the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
Andy Start, chief executive of the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support expressed the need to step up partnering with the Ukrainian defence industry to position it “to be better able to respond at speed and to support the Ukrainian economy.”
BAE Systems To Repair Weapons In Ukraine
During the trade mission to Kyiv, UK defence company, BAE Systems made a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to maintain and repair gifted L119 Light Guns in Ukraine.
This means that L119s which were donated by the UK to Ukraine can be serviced in country and returned to the frontline quicker and provides vital support for Ukraine’s defence infrastructure.
Gabby Costigan, BAE Systems’ Group Managing Director, Business Development said, “We’re extremely proud to work with the UK Government in supporting Ukraine’s long term defence requirements.”
“Our experience providing support in challenging environments as well as our leading defensive cyber capabilities mean we’ve played a leading role in identifying solutions that will help Ukraine secure victory and we look forward to strengthening our relationship further.”
Gabby Costigan
The UK has now provided almost £12 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said that they hoped for more projects this year in the drone production sector. Many of the companies attending the conference were drone producers.
Ukraine aims to produce about 1 million first-person view (FPV) drones this year and is increasing its production of longer-range attack drones to conduct strikes deep inside Russia.
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