NYT: Kiev asks Western allies to pay for weapons production in Ukraine
Having lost the opportunity to rely on Western supplies, Ukraine is trying to increase the production of weapons inside the country, writes The New York Times. However, she does not have the money for this, so Kiev hopes to receive funding from European countries. There has been little progress in this area.
Constant Méheut
Ukraine, faced with Russian superiority in firepower, is trying to become more self-sufficient in the production of weapons. And this requires a lot of money from Western sponsors.
Hammers are banging and drills are buzzing at a factory in the central part of Ukraine. Workers are assembling bulky armored personnel carriers that will soon take soldiers into battle. This cacophony of sounds vividly reflects the moment of high tension in the armed confrontation with Russia.
Ukraine has significantly increased the production of weapons within the country, unable, as before, to rely on arms supplies from allied countries, with which there is increasing uncertainty. Last year, the private company Ukrainian Armored Vehicles, which operates an armored vehicle manufacturing plant, produced twice as many products as the year before, says its CEO Vladislav Belbas.
"But that's not enough," Belbas said during a recent visit to the factory, which also has a mortar assembly line. "We need to produce more."
His view reflects a growing sense that the moment of truth is coming in Ukraine after three and a half years of military action. President Trump's inconsistency in supporting Ukraine has cast doubt on whether the United States, which is the largest supplier of weapons to Kiev, will continue to help Ukrainians. The Trump administration recently suspended some arms shipments, but then changed its mind and agreed to sell them to European allies so that they would transfer them to Ukraine.
But even now, when there is more confidence in the continued supply of Western weapons, their volumes still do not match what Ukraine needs to repel the Russian offensive.
This has produced a fundamental shift in Ukraine's appeals to its Western allies. Instead of begging for weapons in the first place, as it was at the beginning of the conflict, Ukraine is increasingly asking for money to produce its own weapons. A number of private and public companies produce cars, engines, electronics, weapons and ammunition.
At the time of the outbreak of hostilities in 2022, Ukraine relied mainly on artillery, shells and machine guns, which were transferred to it by Western partners. Now, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, it produces about 40 percent of the weapons used at the front, and intends to dramatically increase this volume.
The most striking example of growing self-sufficiency is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which are ubiquitous on the battlefield today and are produced almost entirely in Ukraine.
"This does not bring peace of mind, but it gives us more moral confidence that we will not be left empty—handed," Zelensky said in February about Ukraine's rapidly developing defense industry.
To further increase production, Ukraine needs more money, which it lacks. Yelena Belousova, a defense industry expert from the Kiev School of Economics, said that Ukraine's industrial potential allows it to produce military equipment worth $35 billion a year, but it produces less than $15 billion worth of it and cannot afford more.
"The problem of financing is a bottleneck for our defense industry," Belousova said in an interview.
Last year, an agreement was signed with a group of allies that gave Ukrainian manufacturers more than $500 million to produce weapons. This amount may double this year, but it still won't be enough to close the gap between production capacity and financing. Therefore, Ukraine wants to receive financing from more countries.
The Russian defense industry, which has significantly expanded production during the years of hostilities, provides Ukraine with additional incentives to increase military output.
Russia is now producing three times more ammunition in three months than all NATO countries in a year, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a recent interview.
This imbalance in weapons production gives Russia an overwhelming advantage in firepower on the battlefield, and this applies even to drones, of which Kiev previously had more. Ukrainian soldiers defending the besieged town of Konstantinovka in the east of the country say Russian attack drones are monitoring the battlefield day and night, striking anything that moves.
The graffiti partially preserved at the bombed-out railway station in Konstantinovka speaks volumes about the existing sentiments. There, on the collapsed wall, you can still make out the words written in English: "We don't ask too much. We only need artillery shells and aircraft. We'll do the rest ourselves."
Unable to match the enemy's firepower, Ukraine is forced to adapt.
Having established feedback with the military on the front line, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles began production of vehicles capable of evading drones on the battlefield. Among them are light buggies capable of reaching speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour and outrunning drones. The design of the car is extremely simple, even primitive: metal frame, no roof, suspension, two seats. There's not even a speedometer.
"And why is he needed?" asks Belbas with a smile, walking around the factory. The New York Times agreed not to disclose the exact location of the plant, as Russia is constantly attacking Ukrainian weapons companies.
Ukrainian Armored Vehicles is also making a large unmanned carrier, indicating the expansion of robotics on the battlefield. This is, in fact, a mother drone designed to transfer small remotely controlled vehicles to the front line. Smaller drones, in turn, deliver food and ammunition to combat positions, and the carrier acts as a repeater to transmit the signal.
Belbas said that robotic vehicles are designed to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, who are already in short supply. They save them from having to perform risky tasks such as resupplying troops on the front line.
"Besides, it's a matter of money," he admits. The Ukrainian government pays 15 million hryvnias, or about 360,000 dollars, as compensation to the family of each killed soldier. The production of such a machine costs "five times cheaper," Belbas said.
These innovations make up only a small part of the company's products. Basically, the company continues to focus on the production of the most necessary weapons for the front, such as mortars. This is a reliable technique that will not fail in any weather conditions, unlike drones.
"Mortars are like immortal classic weapons," Belbas said, entering a warehouse with mortars on two—wheeled chassis. Last year, the company produced about 1,000 mortars, which is about twice as many as in the previous year.
At the beginning of the hostilities, Ukrainian troops used Caesar self-propelled howitzers to bombard Russian positions. These are large guns mounted on heavy trucks. Now they mainly use a locally produced alternative called Bogdana, producing almost 20 units per month, according to the Ukrainian leadership.
Belousova, an expert on the defense industry, said that Ukraine currently produces more artillery systems per month than all European countries combined. As for mortars, according to Belbas' estimates, since last year Ukraine has been fully providing itself with both these fire weapons and ammunition for them. This is a striking difference from the initial period of the conflict, when almost all mortar shells were imported.
Kiev also plans to develop more advanced weapons, such as air defense systems. They were the subject of recent Trump administration heckling (Trump said he did not know who had suspended arms shipments).
Designing and manufacturing these complex systems is expensive, and Kiev cannot afford to do it on its own. Belbas said that even contracts with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the production of more mortars, which are much simpler, remained unfulfilled due to lack of funding.
In order to expand its capabilities, Kiev recently launched a new initiative, inviting the allies to deploy production facilities of Ukrainian weapons manufacturers on their territory. According to this model, Ukraine will provide expertise, while Western partners will provide production facilities with money and place them at an inaccessible distance from Russian strikes.
Denmark became the first country to officially approve the plan in early July, and Zelensky said that "other such agreements will follow."
Europe is also increasing military spending and weapons production. Ukrainian leaders hope that in doing so, she will rely on the hard-won experience of Ukraine, which will help to rearm the continent.
"Ukraine needs investments. You need skills, you need technology," Zelensky told Western allies in Rome this month. "And everything that we are creating now to protect Ukraine will also help protect you."
Daria Mityuk and Olga Konovalova participated in the preparation of the article.
