Poland allocates loan for Ukraine to co-invest in joint arms production
Poland and Ukraine have agreed to produce weapons jointly, as Warsaw has already allocated a loan for this purpose.
Ukrainian official Ihor Zhovkva says Poland joined the Vilnius Declaration of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on security guarantees for Ukraine recently, on January 22.
The agreement took the next time during Prime Minister Donald Tusk's visit to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian leadership.
The President's Office member added that the neighboring countries are now discussing supplying Polish weapons and producing them jointly with Ukrainian and Polish manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
"Poland has allocated a loan for joint arms production with Ukraine. This is very important. We have components of Polish weapons that are already being supplied and are fighting in Ukraine. And we need more."
He did not specify the exact amount, type of weapon, or volume of its production.
On February 2, during a meeting with the head of the Polish Prime Minister's office, they discussed the start of negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine. They also discussed the possibility of implementing PM's proposal to create a coordination mechanism for EU integration.
Zhovkva said that "the tone and atmosphere of conversations with the current Polish government" has changed dramatically.
On May 3 last year, the EU Council approved a decision to provide Ukraine with €1 billion in aid for joint procurement of ammunition and missiles.
On November 14, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that the EU could not provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells by March 2024.
However, on January 11, the European Commission said that the bloc would be able to produce one million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine by the end of winter 2024.
The German defense concern Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian Defense Industry officially announced the establishing a joint venture to repair and maintain military equipment donated by Germany and other Western partners.
The German arms concern Rheinmetall will also build a new ammunition plant. The manufactured products will be supplied to Ukraine.
Ukraine and Belgium also plan to establish a joint arms production facility. In the near future, Finland will start producing artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
