Ukraine has resumed its own production of artillery ammunition, but given the vast needs of its Defense Forces, and the scale and intensity of the war, the country still relies on ammunition supplies from partner countries, as stated by Oleksandr Kamyshin, the Minister for Strategic Industries, before the start of the EU-Ukraine Defense Industry Forum in Brussels on Monday, as reported by the Ukrinform correspondent.
“We have started producing artillery ammunition, but as with other items, there will never be enough produced in Ukraine. No matter how much we produce and how much we increase our own capabilities, we will continue to depend on external supplies,” the Ukrainian official noted.
According to Kamyshin, the current war is the largest in a generation, and Ukraine’s needs exceed the combined defense capabilities of all the countries of the free world. He emphasized that they are not currently discussing meeting the full needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, as they are immense. Instead, they are focusing on becoming a significant contributor to the Defense Forces’ supplies.
Kamyshin highlighted three main challenges facing the Ukrainian defense industry: financing, constant shelling, and a global shortage of explosives and gunpowder when it comes to the production of artillery ammunition. “Everything else has ceased to be a difficulty for us,” he stated.
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The Ukrainian official stressed that the country’s defense industry is actively changing and becoming different. This is an essential element of Ukraine’s openness and transparency in relations with European partners and is crucial for attracting European funds to develop the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry.
The EU-Ukraine Defense Industry Forum, held in Brussels on May 6, has gathered more than 350 participants, including representatives of government organizations and European businesses. The main goal of the event is to further support and integrate the Ukrainian defense industry into the structure of the European defense industry, both for immediately meeting Ukraine’s needs for weapons and military equipment and for increasing the capabilities of European defense production.
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