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manufacturers have signed contracts, letters of intent, or memorandums of understanding with French industrialists specializing in producing armored vehicles, artillery, drones, and demining equipment. Also, the Czech Republic will grant Ukraine a license to make CZ BREN 2 assault rifles. The deployment of the production of these firearms at Ukrainian facilities is among the flagship projects of Ukrainian-Czech cooperation. Assault rifles from the Česká zbrojovka company will be manufactured in Ukraine under the Sich brand. Additionally, France will transfer additional Caesar self-propelled artillery installations to Ukraine. It is noted that the KNDS holding, a member of which is the French company Nexter, will supply Ukraine with six additional self-propelled guns. The CEO of the Nexter Group, Nicolas Chamussey, said France has tripled its production of Caesar howitzers, and Ukraine will be able to receive more of them.
Leading German weapons maker Rheinmetall has entered into a joint venture with Ukraine’s state-owned counterpart, the Ukraine Defence Industry group (UDI), to build facilities to make and repair weapons, Rheinmetall said on its website on September 29. The strategic cooperation between Rheinmetall and UDI, formerly known as Ukroboronprom, began in May 2023 but now the relations will deepen. Germany's Federal Cartel Office, Bundeskartellamt, has already signed off on the deal, which needs federal authorisation given the national security implications. Authorization from other relevant agencies is also in progress and expected to be granted soon, Interfax Ukraine reported.
Germany has postponed delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine due to fear of escalation. Some German officials fear that this could bring Berlin closer to a direct confrontation with Russia, writes the WSJ. "German officials said Germany's coalition government had approved the supply of the Taurus, but Scholz held back the move due to concerns that German personnel would have to travel to Ukraine to help maintain the weapons," the newspaper said. According to the sources, Scholz believes that moving German military personnel into the war zone will require a parliamentary vote. Scholz also worries that such a move could allegedly "draw Germany deeper into the conflict". The chancellor's spokesman said there is no immediate plan for the supply of Taurus missiles. It is noted that similar debates preceded Germany's decision to send German-made tanks to Ukraine. Scholz agreed to do so only after persuading President Joe Biden to send in American tanks.
German foreign minister acknowledges some of Berlin's weapons are outdated, inoperational. When asked if she's worried about a recent delivery of allegedly faulty Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock admitted some German weapons are outdated and "not really functioning."
African countries interested in hosting Ukrainian defense plants on their soil. Plagued by weapons and ammunition shortages, Ukraine cannot export anything defense-related at this time but is looking to return to being one of the world's leading armorers. The production of Ukrainian weapons on African soil is seen as an alternative to currently impossible exports, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
Ukraine will receive a small batch of long-range ATACMS missiles from the US, and the first batch of Abrams tanks arrived on September 25. US President Joe Biden told his Ukrainia counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Washington would hand over a small number of long-range ATACMS missiles,
21 UKRAINE Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com