Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the heads of British defense giant BAE Systems are in talks to set up an arms factory in Ukraine to build an arsenal in Kiev.
Zelensky stressed that in these talks they included the possible “localized production” of weapons in the country, in his usual late-night speech, since his military forces “are about to launch a major counteroffensive” against Vladimir Putin’s army.
“I spoke to representatives of the powerful British defense company BAE Systems. This is a truly large-scale arms manufacturer: the weapons we need now and will need in the future to ensure the security of our country and the entire region,” read a post on the president’s Instagram account.
“We are working to create a suitable base for production and repair in Ukraine. We are talking about a wide range of weapons: from tanks to artillery, ”he added.
“We will provide Ukraine, and therefore the whole of Europe, with this new base of strength.”
Britain has led the West in arming Ukraine against Putin’s war, first providing NLAW anti-tank weapons and then being the first to commit to supplying tanks, sending Challenger IIs.
Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel: “We discussed the location of the production in Ukraine. We agreed to start work on opening a BAE Systems office in Ukraine and subsequently repair and production facilities for the company’s products.”
BAE Systems is the world’s second largest military contractor, as well as a commercial aircraft builder. BAE is a British company based in Farnborough, Hampshire with interests throughout the world, including the United States.
Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, for his part, said that “it was a privilege to speak with President Zelensky as part of ongoing discussions about our support for Ukraine.”
Putin’s forces have launched near-nightly drone and missile attacks on Ukraine throughout the month of May.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK Ministry of Defense said: “During May 2023, Russia launched 20 nights of one-way UAV and cruise missile strikes deep into Ukraine.”
The UK also said that Russia has “increasingly ceded the initiative” in the war to Ukraine since the beginning of the month.
A day after Russia accused Ukraine of being behind a drone strike in Moscow, and furthermore, Ukrainian artillery was said to have attacked the Russian town of Shebekino about four miles north of the border with the region. Ukrainian from Kharkiv.
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