(Reuters) – Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff said he hoped a conference on joint Ukrainian-U.S. weapons production would be held in December in the United States, Kyiv’s most important supplier of military assistance.
“There was a very important agreement between president Zelenskiy and president Biden,” Andriy Yermak said. “Next month, I hope, a conference will be held in the United States dedicated to joint (weapons) production of Ukraine and the United States.”
He made the comment on the Moseychuk+ show of Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel.
Ukraine is prioritising its own defence production capabilities amid concerns that supplies from the West might be faltering. It also hopes that joint ventures with international armament producers can help revive a domestic industry plagued by inefficiency and lack of transparency for years before Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Last month, Ukraine set up a joint defence venture with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG to service and repair Western weapons. In September it hosted an international defence industry forum with more than 250 Western weapons producers.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Peter Graff)
