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After having sent many anti-tank missiles and other weapons from their island, the British would now consider manufacturing armaments directly on Ukrainian soil.
A move that would be part of the long-term support for Kiev to which London is committed, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Downing Street last week.
According to the
Telegraph
, senior British defense industry officials are already discussing with the Kiev government the possibility of manufacturing weapons and military vehicles locally.
British emissaries have already gone there to study the creation of joint ventures which would manufacture these materials under license.
According to the newspaper, other European arms companies would also discuss it with Ukraine.
And the British would not want to leave the field open to their French and German rivals.
A race would be on to put the UK “
in the lead
”, an industry player told The
Telegraph
.
Downing Street and the Ministry of Defense declined to comment, saying that issue was up to industry.
It is hard to see, however, how such cooperation, if it were to develop, could take place without a political green light.
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Support for kyiv intensifies
This information comes as Rishi Sunak has promised to step up his support for kyiv.
London will notably train fighter pilots “
to NATO standards
”.
And the prime minister opened the door a crack to supplies of fighter planes, Zelensky's big demand now.
Sunak asked the British army to study possible deliveries of planes, stressing that this solution was only possible in the “
long term
”.
At a seminar in London organized by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), an executive from Ukroboronprom - a state-owned arms conglomerate - said the company wanted to strike deals with Western companies.
These joint ventures on Ukrainian soil would make it possible to reduce kyiv's dependence on Western deliveries and financing.
Over time, Ukraine's strong demand for arms and ammunition makes Western armies fear that their own arsenals will dry up.
Adapting Ukrainian factories to Western standards would require great effort, but the country has a tradition of defense industry.
During the Soviet period, the city of Dnipro was thus a center of excellence in terms of
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Experts point out, however, that such arms factories would be seen by Russia as a provocation and would become prime targets for Moscow.