Kyiv on Thursday announced a cooperation deal with the US aimed at boosting arms production in Ukraine so it can continue to fight the Russian invasion, amid fears of cuts in Western aid, AFP and Agerpres reported.

The document, signed during a press conference on the Ukrainian and American defense industry in Washington, provides that Kyiv “will receive the necessary means for victory on the battlefield in a short period of time”, according to the press release of the Ukrainian president.

The issue of massive arms supplies to the West is a sensitive one, and political divisions in the US are jeopardizing a long-awaited new aid package for Ukraine.

• Read also: How Western military aid to Ukraine threatens political discord (AFP analysis)

Faced with the risk of curbs on external supplies, Kyiv is trying to boost its defense industry, which is one of the “top priorities” of this cooperation agreement, Kyiv said.

This should “contribute to the development of the production infrastructure in our country to provide weapons and the necessary armaments,” especially for air defense and ammunition, the Ukrainian president notes.

Joint production of 155-mm projectiles vital for the Ukrainian army

Ukraine has agreed with two American companies to jointly produce 155mm artillery shells vital to its army, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday, quoted by Reuters.

Demand for 155 mm artillery shells has increased sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US and its allies have sent more than 2 million shells to Kyiv and intend to ramp up production to replenish depleted stocks.

“We have agreements with two leading American companies on the joint production of 155-caliber ammunition in Ukraine,” Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, said in a televised commentary.

However, the Ukrainian minister emphasized that the implementation of these agreements will take years.

“To produce 155-caliber projectiles, the process takes a minimum of two years, a maximum of three. And to start this production, we need technologies that our partners possess. Ukraine has never produced this caliber,” he explained.

Putin is counting on the growing fatigue of Kyiv’s allies

Kyiv is stepping up efforts to produce its own weapons due to fears that supplies from the West may decrease. He also hopes that joint ventures with international arms manufacturers can help revive the domestic arms industry.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that his goal is to “build a modern and powerful arsenal” as Russia has increased its military production capabilities.

In addition, Zelenskyi said on Wednesday that Kyiv does not want to rely only on the military assistance of its allies and seeks to become a security donor for its neighbors in the future, according to Reuters.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has declared his belief that Ukraine will not survive without the help of the West, has since the beginning of the conflict counted on the growing fatigue of Kyiv’s allies, AFP notes.

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