Several defense companies from the West are pushing back on Ukraine’s proposal to collaborate on weapons production amid the Russian invasion.
Kyiv has repeatedly asked industry partners to help the country manufacture high-powered weapons for use in combating Moscow’s forces.
It is reportedly in talks with companies from France, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe to boost local production and create job opportunities for skilled Ukrainian workers.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that half a dozen executives at the Paris Air Show 2023 said they are willing to open production facilities in Kyiv — but not until after the war.
They explained that while the country is desperate to boost its weapons arsenal, there is currently “too much risk.”
“You just have to think about more broadly, the state of the situation … and the risk associated with that co-production,” Lockheed Martin official Greg Ulmer said.
Another major defense firm confirmed that it is willing to enter into an industrial partnership with Ukraine, but it did not say if the direct investment will occur while the war continues.
Defying Risks
Many defense executives apparently see the big potential of opening a weapons production facility in Ukraine.
The country’s increasing need to replenish its stockpiles and the availability of a highly-skilled workforce are among the reasons why investing in Kyiv is an attractive possibility.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed negotiations with BAE Systems to establish a production center in the country.
Germany’s Rheinmetall also announced that it had set up a joint venture with Ukrainian state-owned Ukroboronprom to build and repair tanks in Ukraine.
However, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed that Moscow would retaliate by hitting Western arms facilities built in Kyiv.
“Report about construction of Rheinmetall tank factory … looks like primitive trolling of the Kyiv regime… This event will duly be marked with fireworks of Kalibr and other pyrotechnic devices,” he said.
