Ukraine's Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, who is taking part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on 11-12 June, confirmed in a commentary to Ukrinform that the first Lynx infantry fighting vehicle will be produced in Ukraine jointly with leading German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall by the end of the year.
"At the conference, it was announced together with the German arms concern Rheinmetall that we are starting production of Lynx infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine. The first such vehicle will be produced in Ukraine by the end of the year," Kamyshin said.
He noted that the project is to be financed by the German government and added that so far the German side has been very supportive of Ukrainian initiatives.
The minister also informed that on the eve of the conference, he and Rheinmetall's management had opened a production workshop in Ukraine to repair the weapons donated by Germany, including the Marder infantry fighting vehicle (also funded by the German government).
"This is a good example of how the Ukrainian defence industry is beginning to integrate into the European system," the official said. He is convinced that when Ukraine becomes a member of the EU and NATO, the national defence industry will be integrated into the European system.
Overall, after the war is over and Ukraine wins, exports of Ukrainian arms and military equipment will become a "significant, if not the main" element of the Ukrainian economy, the minister said. He reminded that the defence industry is an important element of economic recovery, and last year, out of 5% economic growth, 1.5% was contributed by the defence sector. "This year it will be many times more," Kamyshin promised.
According to him, Ukraine's need for arms currently exceeds the production capacity of any country in the world, "so while we are at war, we will buy a lot of weapons. But the main task is to develop, produce and repair them in Ukraine."