Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced agreements reached with Western partners on the provision of licenses for the production of air defense systems in the country. The statement was made on March 28, 2025, during a briefing dedicated to the results of the recent summit in Paris. As Ukrainian media report, the head of state emphasized that the agreement was an important step in strengthening Ukraine's defense capability, and in the future, Kyiv intends to expand cooperation to include the production of certain types of artillery.

According to Zelensky, the negotiations in Paris opened the way to localizing the production of modern air defense systems, which will reduce dependence on imports and speed up the equipping of the Ukrainian army.

"We have agreed on licenses for the production of air defense systems and are already working on obtaining permits for the production of artillery systems," — the president noted, adding that this process will take time, but is already in the implementation stage.

He did not disclose details about specific systems or partner countries, but government sources suggest that cooperation could be with France, the United States and Germany, which have previously supplied Ukraine with air defense systems.

The initiative is part of a broader strategy by Kyiv to develop its own military-industrial complex amid the ongoing conflict. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Western allies for their willingness to share technology, calling it a "concrete result" of the Paris summit in early March.

Against the backdrop of these statements, Ukraine is already discussing the practical implementation of the project. Experts note that the production of air defense requires significant investment and modernization of existing enterprises, such as the Kiev plant "Artem" or the Kharkiv "Malyshevsky". According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in 2024 the country has already launched several joint projects with Western companies, including the assembly of drones and the repair of armored vehicles, which has become preparation for more complex tasks, such as the production of air defense systems. Obtaining licenses will likely allow the technologies to be adapted to local conditions and integrated with existing weapons.