(Reuters) – Ukraine has agreed with two American companies on joint production of vital 155mm artillery shells, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.
Demand for 155mm artillery rounds skyrocketed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The U.S. and allies have sent Kyiv more than 2 million rounds of it and were aiming to increase production to refill depleting stocks.
“We have agreements with two leading American companies to jointly produce in Ukraine 155-caliber ammunition,” Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukrainian minister for strategic industries, said in televised comments.
He said though that implementation of the deal would take years.
“To produce 155-caliber, the process takes a minimum of two years, a maximum of three. And to start this production, we need technologies that our partners own. Ukraine has never produced this caliber,” he said.
Kyiv is ramping up efforts to produce its own weapons amid concerns that supplies from the West might be faltering. It also hopes joint ventures with international armament producers can help revive its domestic industry.
On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv did not want to rely solely on allied military aid and aims to become a donor of security for neighbours in the future.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alison Williams and David Evans)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.