Denys Shmyhal and Belgian Minister of Defence discuss defence industry cooperation and Ukraine’s defence priorities

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, held talks with the Minister of Defence of Belgium, Theo Francken.

The discussion centred on sustaining support for Ukraine and further strengthening bilateral cooperation. In particular, the parties discussed the prospects for joint projects in the defence industry and the establishment of joint ventures. 

“We already have agreements that will enable the localisation of ammunition production in Ukraine. At the same time, we stand ready to advance the ‘Build with Ukraine’ initiative and to launch Ukrainian production facilities in Belgium,” stated Denys Shmyhal.

He also outlined Ukraine’s defence priorities, with the top priority being the strengthening of air defence systems to protect against russian attacks. 

“We discussed in detail the ways of financing Ukraine’s defence. The use of frozen russian assets could provide additional resources,” emphasised the Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine further stressed the need to expand production capacity in Europe. He added that Ukraine, for its part, stands ready to contribute to strengthening security across the European continent.