Lithuania to produce Ukrainian weapons following bilateral agreement

Lithuania will organize the production of Ukrainian weapons after a key agreement was reached during a meeting between the defence ministers of the two countries, the Lithuanian Defence Ministry announced.

During a meeting between Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė and Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, a Protocol of Intent on the production of Ukrainian weapons in Lithuania was signed in a bilateral format, and the types of weapons planned to be produced and further steps were discussed, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

The agreement outlines “joint production of defense industry products, technology transfer, project development and localization of production in Lithuania.” This collaboration aims to strengthen long-term partnerships, enhance collective European security, and establish sustainable supply chains.

“This will open the way to long-term partnership, strengthening collective European security and creating sustainable supply chains,” the Lithuanian Defence Ministry emphasized.

Minister Šakalienė reaffirmed Lithuania’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine. She announced plans to allocate over EUR 200 million in the coming years toward armament projects, anti-drone systems, demining efforts, rehabilitation, training, and bolstering the Ukrainian defence industry. Additionally, Lithuania intends to contribute up to EUR 30 million to the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative.

During her visit to Kyiv, Šakalienė also met with senior officials from the Ukrainian Air Force and air defence experts to discuss emerging challenges, recent experience, and innovations in air defence.

“We discussed Ukraine's latest decisions in response to the changing air threat environment and technological innovations. I want to ensure the most effective cooperation possible in strengthening our air defence and responding to the changing technologies and methods used by Russia. We agreed to hold regular expert consultations on the application of practical experience to strengthen our air defence,” she said.

Highlighting the importance of enhanced airspace surveillance, Šakalienė stressed the need to detect Russian drones heading toward Belarus early, preventing any potential violation of Lithuanian airspace. To this end, an agreement was reached to facilitate information exchange between the air forces of both countries.

By Vafa Guliyeva