Ukraine's Defense Minister urges partners to equip Ukrainian brigades
Photo: Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov (facebook.com/rustemumerov.ua)
Kyiv expects partners to take the initiative in equipping Ukrainian brigades and battalions. Previously, such an initiative was implemented in cooperation with France, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Umerov explained that he held a video conference with the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Poland.
He stated that together with his counterparts, they reviewed the immediate needs of Ukraine's Defense Forces and prioritized areas for assistance.
“We expect our partners to take the initiative in equipping our brigades and battalions. We have successful experience working with France, which provided training for one of our brigades and supplied it with armored vehicles,” the minister said.
At the same time, Umerov emphasized another critical area of support: strengthening Ukraine's air defense ahead of winter.
“The enemy continues to attempt to destroy our critical infrastructure, so we need more air defense systems and ammunition for them,” he said.
The minister also highlighted ongoing collaboration with allies to enhance Ukraine's defense industry. He noted that Kyiv is already offering countries of the free world opportunities to transfer technologies and establish strategic partnerships with the Ukrainian industry.
Umerov outlined several areas where Ukraine sees significant potential for cooperation:
- Partnership in the production of 155-mm ammunition.
- Localization of air defense and missile system production in Ukraine, as well as partnerships to develop Ukrainian air defense systems.
- Localization of heavy armored vehicle and artillery system production.
- Partnerships in defense technologies, including autonomous systems, electronic warfare (EW), and radar technologies.
“Simultaneously, we plan to conduct an audit of the assistance provided by allied states during 2022, 2023, and 2024. We need to identify which models of support for Ukraine were most effective and scale them up,” he added.
France’s support for Ukraine
France remains one of Ukraine's key allies. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Paris has provided substantial military assistance to Kyiv, including artillery systems, armored vehicles, ammunition, missiles, air defense systems, and other types of weaponry.
In addition to military support, France has been actively advocating for Ukraine on the political stage, pushing for further integration of the country into the European Union and NATO.
It is worth noting that French President Emmanuel Macron was the initiator of sending military instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers.
Also, this month, France completed the training of the Ukrainian Anna Kyivska brigade.
