Ukrainian, Italian officials discuss strengthening Ukraine's defense industry

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and MP Davyd Arakhamia met with Italy's Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister Fabrizio Saggio, and representatives of Italy's security agencies.

According to Ukrinform, Umerov shared details of the meeting via Facebook.

"We discussed defense, energy, and economic support for Ukraine, and synchronized our positions on the next steps in our cooperation," Umerov said.

Separate meetings were also held with the leadership of Italy's largest defense companies.

The talks focused on strengthening Ukraine's defense industry, particularly the development of air defense capabilities to protect Ukrainian cities, Umerov said.

He thanked Italy for its consistent support of Ukraine.

Read also: Some issues clarified: Umerov outlines results of Geneva talks

As Ukrinform earlier reported, during the full-scale war Ukraine's defense industry has demonstrated unprecedented growth: production capacity has increased 50-fold, reaching $50 billion. As a result, domestic manufacturers now supply more than half of Ukrainian forces' weapons needs.

Photo credit: Rustem Umerov / Facebook