The gap between the production capabilities of Ukrainian companies and the funding to use them is $10 billion this year alone. This was stated at the Defense Industry Forum in Brussels by the Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin, calling on partners to invest in Ukrainian arms production, Radio Liberty reports, UNN writes.
"Our main task is to find additional funding for the Defense Forces in Ukraine. My task is to get this funding for production in Ukraine, because we are already capable. We have additional non-contracted capabilities, and we want them to be financed by European funds," Kamyshin said, answering a question from Radio Liberty.
According to the Ministry of Strategic Industries, "the Ukrainian defense industry is capable of producing products worth 20 billion dollars a year." "Of these, 6 billion are contracted, and the ministry hopes to find another 4 billion within Ukraine, so 10 billion dollars is funding that can be covered by partners," the report says.
The minister said that Denmark and Canada have already invested in Ukrainian arms production. Now the government is looking for additional funding that can be allocated to different types of weapons.
"Starting from armored vehicles and ending with unmanned aerial and ground systems, all these things can be produced in Ukraine in larger volumes today. And this is the fastest and most correct way to help our Defense Forces... Some of these goods can be produced very quickly," he summarized.
Addendum
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 25 that Ukraine will work with partners to manufacture weapons in Ukraine at foreign expense.