The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
An employee handles 155 mm caliber shells after the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. on April 16, 2024. (Charly Truballeau / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian Armor, a private defense enterprise, signed two deals on Oct. 2 with the Czech holding Czechoslovak Group (CSG) to cooperate on the production of 155mm shells, Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi reported from the DFNC2: International Defense Industries Forum.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has made a wide-reaching shift to NATO standard 155 mm artillery, as Kyiv's partners had a short supply in stock of Soviet-caliber shells – 122 mm and 152 mm.
Ukraine has long tried to ramp up domestic ammunition production to become more independent from Western partners.
The CSG will supply components and share the technology and manufacturing documentation for the production of the shells to Ukrainian Armor, according to themedia outlet.
The licensing process will be finalized by the end of the year. And the production is expected to start in early 2025.
"We plan to produce and supply about 100,000 rounds of ammunition next year and more than 300,000 in 2026. The process of equipment preparation has already begun," Ukrainian Armor's CEO Vladyslav Belbas said.
Ammunition will be manufactured in both Ukraine and the Czech Republic, which will increase its production and reduce the costs, Belbas added.
The contract includes the production of three types of 155 mm artillery shells. The companies also plan to produce other types of shells and other defense products, such as spare parts for armored vehicles, Militarnyi said.
In early March, Bloomberg and Reuters reported that CSG plans to invest "hundreds of millions of euros" in Ukraine to boost its supply of ammunition and equipment.
CSG was in talks with state-owned enterprise Ukrainian Defense Industry (UkrOboronProm) on a potential joint venture, billionaire owner Michal Strnad told journalists on March 6.
The company has sent around 150 pieces of equipment to Ukraine, funded by other EU or NATO countries, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Strnad told reporters.
CSG already produces ammunition, Tatra trucks, and armored vehicles, as well as modernizes Soviet T72 tanks for Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
