Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an extended meeting on key issues regarding the export of Ukrainian weapons.
According to the head of state, exports “will be a reality” and “all the details have now been agreed at the level of our state institutions”.
“At present, our security expertise and weapons, which have been tested in modern warfare, are of interest to all partners capable of ensuring a real level of protection for their national sovereignty and the lives of their people. We have offered partners who are helping Ukraine a special format of cooperation known as ‘drone deals’ — special agreements on the production and supply of our drones, missiles, shells and other sought-after types of weapons, military equipment and software, integration with partners’ defence systems, as well as the provision of our expertise and the technological exchange that Ukraine needs,” Zelenskyy said.
The President added that he has now approved guidelines for such intergovernmental cooperation and the development of automatic permits for businesses regarding arms exports.
Zelenskyy explained how this would work: at the intergovernmental level, based on the principle of reciprocity, a relevant agreement will define the framework for security cooperation, after which the process will begin at the level of state institutions and manufacturers.
“Ukrainian companies will have a real opportunity to enter the markets of partner countries, provided that our military has the right to procure the necessary volume of weapons first. The surplus production capacity in Ukraine for certain types of weapons reaches 50%, and this is a direct result of our state investments in Ukraine’s defence industry and our cooperation with partners,” the head of state emphasised.
Zelenskyy instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the intelligence services and the Security Service of Ukraine to draw up a list of countries to which the export of Ukrainian weapons is not possible due to their cooperation with Russia.
“The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine will coordinate export processes and ensure that the needs of Ukraine’s defence and security forces for weapons are met first, with any surplus — that is, what manufacturers can produce in excess of the state order in Ukraine — being sent for export. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the General Staff will determine the volume of requirements for our state’s defence forces,” the head of state clarified.
In addition, government officials and the National Security and Defence Council are to provide Ukrainians with the necessary information regarding the details of the arms export process.
- Recently, Ukraine has concluded a number of agreements with partners, in particular regarding drones.