Ukraine is in the final stages of creating three more joint ventures with European arms manufacturers, while five such enterprises are already functioning. About this in interview First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyridenko told Reuters.
Svyridenko noted that five joint ventures with Western companies have already been established, including German and Lithuanian arms manufacturers.
“We have three more agreements with European companies in the final stages of establishing joint ventures,” the official said, refraining from giving details about the investment.
Some Western arms manufacturers already have representative offices in Ukraine. For example, the German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft, together with a Ukrainian private manufacturer, is opening a service center in Ukraine.
According to Svyridenko, the development of Ukrainian defense production has become a significant stimulus for the economy, which, although showing growth for the second year in a row, still has not reached the pre-war level.
The minister emphasized that the share of arms production in the first half of 2024 accounted for 1.8% of Ukraine’s GDP, while in 2021 this figure was only 0.3%.
The publication reminds that detailed information on the volume of the defense industry is not disclosed, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced in October that Ukraine is capable of producing up to 4 million drones every year and is increasing the production of military equipment, including missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and vehicles.
