Steve in Sampa, HVH

I held an expanded meeting on key issues related to the export of Ukrainian weapons. The export of Ukrainian weapons will become a reality – we have approved all the details at the level of our state institutions. Currently, 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 statehood and the lives of their citizens. We have proposed to partners who support Ukraine a special format of cooperation – Drone Deals – special agreements on the production and supply of our drones, missiles, ammunition, and other in-demand types of weapons, military equipment, software, integration with partners’ defense systems, as well as the provision of our expertise and the technological exchange needed by Ukraine. Today, I approved the areas for this interstate work and the development of automatic permits for businesses regarding arms exports. The algorithm is absolutely clear: at the interstate level, based on the principle of reciprocity, we define the framework for security cooperation through the relevant agreement. Then the process continues at the level of state institutions and manufacturers. We are simplifying bureaucratic procedures, maintaining an adequate level of export control, and launching practical operating mechanisms for companies. Ukrainian companies will receive a real opportunity to enter partner countries’ markets, provided that our military has the right to receive the necessary volume of weapons first. A surplus of production capacity in Ukraine for certain types of weapons reaches 50 per cent, and this is a direct result of our state investment in Ukraine’s defense industry and our cooperation with partners. I instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with our intelligence services and the Security Service of Ukraine, to determine the list of countries to which exports of our weapons are not possible due to their cooperation with the aggressor state. This is a serious challenge – to prevent our technologies and weapons from falling into Russian hands. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine will coordinate export processes and act as a guarantor that the needs of Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces are met first, while only surplus production – what manufacturers can produce beyond the state order in Ukraine – will be exported. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff will determine the required volumes for the needs of our Defense Forces. I have instructed government officials and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to present to the public the necessary information on the details of our weapons export process. Glory to Ukraine!