France, Germany allow tank manufacturer KNDS to establish branch in Ukraine

Bloomberg reported on 22 March that France and Germany have agreed to join forces to support Ukraine's military efforts against Russian aggression.

Ukraine faces an ammunition shortage and needs enough ammunition in the short term, with average daily shell use by Russian troops anywhere from three to five times what Ukrainian forces can fire. According to Bloomberg, Kyiv's allies seek to step up military aid in the face of Russian advances.

According to the report, the Franco-German tank manufacturer KNDS will create a unit in Ukraine to produce ammunition and spare parts for equipment sent by the two European neighbors.

"We, France and Germany, both want to help Ukraine to make the ammunition production there more self-sufficient," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.

Pistorius said that France and Germany will sign a memorandum of understanding for the MGCS in Paris on 26 April, with a contract readied by the end of the year.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said KNDS "will take a foothold in Ukraine with a local unit."

"The production of ammunition must move close to the front line; that will be very important for supplies,” he added.

A French official said the Ukrainian KNDS unit may later produce weapons systems from scratch.

The agreement was reached on 22 March during talks between Pistorius and Lecornu in Berlin. The ministers also agreed to divide work between companies from both countries on the next generation of tanks, known as the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System).

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