Reuters. Ukraine and Britain have signed a framework agreement to cooperate in the defense and arms production sector, officials said in Kyiv, part of a wartime effort to build up Ukraine's domestic weapons industry by working with allies.
The document was signed at a military industry conference in Kyiv that was attended by about 30 British defense companies who visited to discuss potential joint ventures with Ukrainian weapons and defense producers.
Greg Hands, UK Minister for Trade Policy, said on he hoped the agreement would bring gains for Ukraine on the battlefield and also benefit its battered economy in the longer term. British defense company BAE Systems, one of the first Western producers to set up a local entity in Ukraine, signed an agreement with Britain's Defence Ministry to conduct maintenance, repair and overhaul of light guns on the ground in Ukraine.
Officials also said they hoped for more projects this year in the drone production sector. Many of the companies attending the conference were drone producers. Ukraine aims to produce about 1 million first-person view (FPV) drones this year and is increasing its production of longer-range attack drones to conduct strikes deep inside Russia.
