Dec 7 (Reuters) - Kyiv has agreed with two American firms to jointly manufacture vital 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine, a Ukrainian minister said on Thursday, although production will not start for at least two years.
“We have agreements with two leading American companies to jointly produce, in Ukraine, 155-calibre ammunition,” Oleksandr Kamyshin, minister for strategic industries, said in televised comments.
The announcement follows a two-day Ukraine-U.S. defence conference held in Washington, which included bilateral meetings to discuss Ukraine’s battlefield plans for 2024 and measures to make it happen.
Kyiv and Washington signed a letter of intent at the forum to speed up weapons co-production and technical data exchange to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian army in air defence systems, maintenance, and production of critical ammunition.
Ukraine’s defence sector, which for decades was dogged by underinvestment, red tape and corruption, is trying to compete with Russia’s far more advanced military industry and high budget support.
On Wednesday, Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked an emergency bill that would provide about $60 billion in military and economic support for Ukraine, threatening hopes that the badly needed funds can be approved by the end of the year.
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