Ukraine and the US have agreed to launch joint weapons production in a step that would enable Kyiv to start producing air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday as he departed the US for Canada.
In his daily address to Ukrainians, Zelenskiy said the long-term agreement would create jobs and a new industrial base in Ukraine, whose economy has been devastated by the war with Russia.
“It was a very important visit to Washington, very important results,” Zelenskiy said in a video posted on the presidential Web site. “And a long-term agreement — we will work together so that Ukraine produces the necessary weapons together with the United States. Coproduction in the defense [sector] with the United States is a historic thing.”
Photo: Reuters
Kyiv has stepped up efforts to boost domestic weapons production as much as possible because 19 months of war has created a huge demand for arms and ammunition to fend off Russian attacks along a 1,000km front line.
Zelenskiy said that the Ukrainian Ministry for Strategic Industries, which oversees weapons production in the nation, had signed cooperation agreements with three associations, uniting more than 2,000 US defense companies, on possible work in Ukraine.
“We are preparing to create a new defense ecosystem with the United States to produce weapons to strengthen further freedom and protect life together,” he said.
Zelenskiy in Washington on Thursday worked to shore up US support for Ukraine, delivering an upbeat message on the war’s progress while facing new questions about the flow of US dollars to his nation.
The Ukrainians have a solid war plan, and “they are winning,” US lawmakers quoted him as saying.
US President Joe Biden gave Zelenskiy a red-carpet arrival on the White House South lawn, but some lawmakers voted against Biden’s request to the US Congress for an additional US$24 billion for Ukraine’s military.
US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she voted against a defense bill — even as a legislative deadlock threatens a US government shutdown — because the leadership of her Republican party has refused to separate out funding for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in Crimea, Russia said that Ukraine carried out a missile strike yesterday on the main headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet.
Additional reporting by AP
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
The arrival of a cold front tomorrow could plunge temperatures into the mid-teens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Temperatures yesterday rose to 28°C to 30°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and 32°C to 33°C in central and southern Taiwan, CWA data showed. Similar but mostly cloudy weather is expected today, the CWA said. However, the arrival of a cold air mass tomorrow would cause a rapid drop in temperatures to 15°C cooler than the previous day’s highs. The cold front, which is expected to last through the weekend, would bring steady rainfall tomorrow, along with multiple waves of showers
RSS