British defense firm BAE sets up base in Ukraine

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) – British defense firm BAE Systems (BAES.L) It said on Thursday that it had created a local entity in Ukraine and signed agreements with the Ukrainian government to help increase supplies of arms and equipment to kyiv.

The move will allow BAE to work directly with Kiev to explore potential partners for a plan to ultimately produce 105mm light weapons, a type of artillery weapon, in Ukraine, and better understand Ukraine’s capability requirements.

As the UK’s biggest defense contractor, BAE has made much of the equipment Britain and other governments have provided Ukraine to defend against Russian invasion.

Britain is a key defense supplier to Ukraine and in May became the first country start supplying kyiv with long-range cruise missiles.

“The best weapons currently helping our warriors defend Ukraine should be produced in Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after a meeting with BAE chief executive Charles Woodburn.

“The development of our own weapons production is an absolute priority,” he said.

Zelenskiy had said in May that both sides were working to open a BAE office in Ukraine.

kyiv is eager to increase its arsenal, from drones and ammunition to tanks, while also trying to boost job opportunities in a war-torn economy.

BAE, which has benefited from increased defense spending as a result of the conflict, is already providing training and repair services to Ukraine’s armed forces.

“The signing of the agreements and the establishment of a legal entity in Ukraine builds on our existing trust and support and paves the way for us to work together to provide more direct support to the Ukrainian armed forces,” BAE’s Woodburn said in a statement. release.

The announcement comes days after Ukraine signed a declaration of intent with Sweden to strengthen cooperation on the production and operation of the CV90 family of armored vehicles, manufactured by a Swedish unit of BAE.

western defense companies
They have been weighing the opportunities to make weapons in Ukraine against the potential security risks, Reuters reported in June.

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.