Representatives of the governments of the United States and Ukraine signed an agreement to accelerate joint weapons production and data sharing at a conference in Washington on Wednesday.
“Ukraine’s emergence as a self-sufficient arms producer obviously eliminates the long-term need for a continued supply of weapons from the United States and other Western countries,” President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told Reuters. “So they increase production and we can reduce the amount of supply needed over time.”
The letter of intent was signed at a meeting of US and Ukrainian government and industry representatives and “will be a priority for joint production and exchange of technical data to meet the urgent operational needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” said Jason Israel of the White House. Director of the National Security Council for defense policy and strategies for the audience of more than 200 people gathered in the auditorium of the Department of Commerce.
Areas of cooperation include “air defense systems, repair and maintenance, and production of critical munitions,” Israel told the audience.
Sullivan told Reuters the goal is to facilitate licensing, technology transfer, financing, partnerships and co-productions, which will eventually include “Ukrainian companies with Ukrainian experience, based on those licenses and technology transfer, etc., from companies Americans and Europeans. .
Sullivan did not specify which systems the United States is willing to license to Ukraine, but said there are several companies, including large companies such as Boeing, drone maker General Atomics and technology companies such as Amentum Services and Leidos Holdings Inc.
The letter was signed by the Pentagon’s top arms buyer, Bill LaPlante, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Ukrainian Strategic Industries Minister Alexander Kamyshin.
The three-day conference began Wednesday and included speeches from senior officials from both governments, including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chief of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov.
The event is organized by the US Department of Commerce and is part of the US government’s efforts to increase weapons production in support of Ukraine.
