Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

By HANNA ARHIROVA and NEBI QENA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s newly appointed head of defense industry says he wants to turn the country into a weapons hub for the West. Oleksandr Kamysyhin says approximately 500 companies in Ukraine’s defense industry are contributing to the country’s efforts to increase weapon production in order to counter Russia’s attempts to seize more territory. He spoke in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. He says Ukraine is delivering locally produced munition to the battlefield and is increasingly able to strike inside Russia. He declined to disclose specific figures but says Ukraine is manufacturing mortar and artillery ammunition, drones, armored vehicles, missiles and various other items. He says the industry has grown by dozens or even hundreds of times.