The Telegraph reported Sunday that British weapons and military vehicles might be manufactured in Ukraine under the order’s licence, which would ease Kyiv’s dependence on arms supplies from Western allies.
The newspaper reported that executives from the British defense sector had traveled to Kyiv to discuss plans for joint ventures to manufacture weapons and vehicles locally.
It added that arms manufacturers from other European countries were also in discussions with Ukraine and quoted one executive as saying there was a race to put Britain “at the top of the list”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited London and Paris on Wednesday to appeal for more Western weapons, including modern fighter jets and long-range heavy weapons.
“All options are on the table” when it comes to providing aircraft to Ukraine to fight Russia, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Zelensky, following announcing a plan to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly combat aircraft to NATO standards.
However, Western countries have so far been reluctant to provide aircraft or weapons that can strike the Russian depth.
In response to the report, the Russian news agency “Tass” quoted the Russian embassy in Britain as warning that the provision of any British combat aircraft to Ukraine would have serious repercussions on the military and political levels.
She explained, “The Telegraph” that any joint venture between arms manufacturers and Ukraine will likely require the approval of the British government and that such a move would increase Moscow’s hostility.
The British government press office declined to comment on the newspaper’s report, as did the Ministry of Defense.