The Defense Minister Umerov: Ukraine can lift the ban on arms exports

Ukraine is counting on international investments in the defense industry and does not rule out the export of Ukrainian weapons in the future.

This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, Ukrinform reports.

"Some countries have said that they want to buy missiles, drones and other Ukrainian-made products for themselves. We do not rule out these possibilities, but I want it to be a collective decision at the level of the countryʼs leadership," Umerov said.

He added that various projects are currently being discussed with partners, but the final decision will be made by the state leadership.

Ukraine offered partners several options for cooperation. For example, the creation of joint ventures, long-term contracts for 10 years and financial instruments — loans or export financing.

Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that Ukraine wants to lift the ban on the export of drones in order to match Russiaʼs capabilities on the battlefield. With the countryʼs limited resources available to pay for military supplies, drone companies are looking for ways to sell excess production abroad to generate the revenue needed to produce more drones for the Ukrainian military. Thus, according to experts, the export of drones can bring Ukraine up to $20 billion in revenue.

• After the start of a full-scale war with Russia in 2022, Ukraine imposed a ban on arms exports in order to provide the Ukrainian army with the necessary resources.

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