Military Contracts with the West
Military cooperation between Ukraine and the West continues and expands. The preliminary agreements reached in Kyiv on joint production of weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces are beginning to translate into actual contracts with leading companies. For example, the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG plans to build its first armored vehicles in Ukraine next year. According to Armin Papperger, the concern's chief executive officer, these will be armored transporters and infantry fighting vehicles. Soon, there will be even more such contracts due to decisions made during the DFNC1 US Edition Defense Industry Conference held in Washington, D.C., on December 6-7.
The conference was a continuation of the first DFNC1 International Defense Industry Forum, which took place in September in Kyiv and brought together representatives of 252 defense companies from over 30 countries. The Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine emphasized that the event would deepen cooperation in arms production and technology exchange between Ukrainian and American defense companies. The U.S. State Department, in turn, highlighted that the conference "is part of the U.S. government's efforts to significantly increase arms production to support Ukraine's fight for freedom and security."
In his address to the conference participants, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of cooperation in defending against aggression.
"Ukraine does not want to depend only on partners – Ukraine aims and really can become a donor of security for all our neighbors once it can guarantee its own safety. We really can do this. It is realistic. I invite all American defense companies to cooperate with Ukraine. I am confident that together, we can create a new and powerful arsenal of freedom, which will be a reliable helper for all free nations of the world. An arsenal that, by the mere fact of its existence, will guarantee our children – the children of Europe, the children of America, the children of all the world, that no Russian or other evil shell will ever again destroy our peaceful life. United, we can accomplish much more than any of us alone! So, let’s continue to work together. For the greater power of freedom."
During the Conference on Wednesday, December 7, 2023, representatives of the U.S. and Ukrainian governments signed an agreement to accelerate joint weapons production and data sharing. The letter of intent was signed at a meeting of representatives of American and Ukrainian industry and government. "It will prioritize co-production and technical data exchange to address the urgent operational needs of the armed forces in Ukraine," said Jason Israel, director of defense policy and strategy at the White House National Security Council, in his speech to an audience of more than 200 people gathered at the U.S. Department of Commerce. "Areas of concentration include air defense systems, repair and support, and critical munitions," Israel added.
On the US side, the letter was signed by the Pentagon's chief arms buyer, Bill LaPlante, and on the Ukrainian side by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin. In an interview with Reuters, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also emphasized that Ukraine is becoming more self-sufficient in weapons production. "This reduces the long-term need for a steady supply of weapons from the United States and other Western countries," Sullivan said.
During the conference, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The bilateral discussion was based on preliminary agreements reached at the security conference held in November 2023 in Kyiv, which included a discussion of Ukraine's strategic goals for the next year and a long-term vision of the future actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As a reminder, the supply of various types of weapons to Ukraine was already organized into several coalitions in early 2023. Thus, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, France, Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States joined the "tank coalition." The "airplane coalition" includes Slovakia, Poland, Macedonia, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the United States. A "maritime coalition" led by the United Kingdom and Norway is gradually being formed. The countries of this coalition will provide Ukraine with both patrol cruisers and anti-ship defense equipment to counter the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
U.S. Assistance: Real-Time Transformation
Before the DFNC1 US Edition, there were many similar reports in the media about the alleged termination of US military and technical assistance to Ukraine. The similarity of the structure, messages, and tone of the messages indicates that Russia is conducting psychological operations.
The first reports from the sidelines of the Conference proved that the situation is not just different but radically different. Thus, according to Reuters sources in the US State Department and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, during a closed session of the Conference on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, attended by government officials and defense industry executives, a new "list of weapons to meet the needs of the Ukrainian defense forces" was presented. In addition to the previously known orders - tanks, 155 mm cannons, aircraft, military drones, and long-range missiles - this list includes new items, such as transport aircraft, combat helicopters, fighter jets, heavy drones, and air defense systems. This indicates a significant transformation of future U.S. assistance, adapted to the new realities of the Ukrainian armed forces' resistance to Russia's military aggression.
The emergence of this updated list allows us to evaluate the blocking of the security assistance package for Ukraine and Israel in the US Senate from a different perspective. The list reflects what could easily be billions of dollars in purchases for American companies, and one may expect a new bill to appear in the Senate, which will include the cost of providing leading US arms companies with new orders. This way, President Joe Biden will have something to go on and negotiate with Republicans, who are interested in increasing the volume of defense orders in the United States.
The United States has been and remains one of Ukraine's main partners in military assistance and support in the fight against Russian aggression, and cooperation between the two countries will continue in the future.