Germany, Ukraine boost defence cooperation with high-level Kiev talks

Yahoo

2 days ago

Germany and Ukraine are aiming to boost cooperation in the defence sector, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Kiev.
"Our defence cooperation is a real trump card," Wadephul said on his first visit to the Ukrainian capital since taking office last month.
"It is a logical continuation of our material supplies and we can benefit from it on both sides," he added. "With your wealth of ideas and experience, we will also become better."
Wadephul was accompanied in Kiev by high-ranking representatives of German defence companies.
Talks between business representatives from both countries and with Ukrainian decision-makers were to take place on the fringes of the visit, according to the German Foreign Office.
Wadephul said he would take the defence executives to a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky planned for the afternoon.
"I believe it is in both sides' interests that we work more closely together here," he said.
The aim is to establish new joint ventures in the defence industry "so that Ukraine can produce faster and more for its own defence," the foreign minister said.
After initially supplying mainly weapons, German companies are now increasingly needed in the country, he explained. "There is a willingness to do this, but some obstacles still need to be overcome, bureaucratic obstacles and other problems for the cooperation."
Sybiha warned that the Russian armed forces of today are different from those that initially invaded Ukraine in 2022.
"They are gaining experience, they are also using new technologies on the battlefield," he said.
This is a danger not only for Ukraine, but also for "trans-Atlantic security," Sybiha stated, warning that new air defence systems are needed to protect the cities that are particularly at risk.