Umerov: We count on partners’ initiative in equipping our brigades, battalions
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Minister of Defense, discussed urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and priority areas of assistance with the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy, the UK, and Poland during a video conference.
Umerov shared this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.
“Support from allies will become faster and more effective. Ukrainian defenders must be provided with everything necessary to put an end to Russian aggression,” Umerov emphasized.
During the discussion, participants reviewed the urgent needs of Ukraine's Defense Forces and identified key areas of support.
“We count on our partners to take the initiative in equipping our brigades and battalions. We already have successful cooperation with France, which ensured the training of one of our brigades and provided it with armored vehicles,” the defense minister noted.
Another key area of support is strengthening Ukraine’s air defense ahead of winter as, according to Umerov, “the enemy continues its attempts to destroy our critical infrastructure, so we need more air defense systems and ammunition for them.”
The next pressing issue is artillery ammunition. The minister thanked European partners for delivering one million artillery shells but noted that more are needed to achieve parity with the enemy.
“Together with allies, Ukraine is already building the capability of its domestic defense industry. We propose that countries of the free world transfer technologies to us and establish strategic partnerships with our industry,” the minister added.
Also, Umerov informed partners about the sectors where Ukraine sees significant opportunities for collaboration, including: producing 155-mm ammunition, localizing production of air defense systems and missiles, developing heavy armored vehicles and artillery systems, advancing defense technologies such as autonomous systems, electronic warfare (EW), and radar technologies.
The minister mentioned that Ukraine plans to conduct a review of aid provided in 2022, 2023, and 2024 with allied nations. “We need to identify which support models for Ukraine have been most effective and scale them up.”
“Ukraine is also open to new initiatives that will help quickly meet the needs of our soldiers in 2025. We must act bravely and in unity. Only then can we achieve a just and lasting peace in Europe,” Umerov concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, international drone coalition members are allocating €1.8 billion this year to support Ukraine's Armed Forces.