Ukraine weighs lifting arms-export ban to make drones in Europe

LONDON — Ukrainian officials are exploring a mechanism to ease weapons export restrictions in sectors such as drone production, paving the way for cooperation with Baltic and Scandinavian countries as well as the U.K. and the Netherlands, according to a Ukrainian official.

Since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has implemented an embargo on arms exports in an attempt to direct all supplies to its defensive efforts. Lawmakers have been pondering recently how some constraints could be lifted to generate revenue that could then flow back into the local arms industry.

“The embargo remains in place, but we are working on a formula that would allow it to be lifted for certain industries, including drones, for possible cooperation and production with Joint Expeditionary Force [JEF] countries,” Ihor Brusylo, foreign policy adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Defense News in an interview.

The JEF is a U.K.-led coalition of ten countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway.

Brusylo added that the framework being assessed would entail an understanding along the lines of “so long as the war continues, all the production would be sent back to Ukraine for use by our troops, but once the situation stabilizes and the war is over, production would be split 50-50.”

Although the JEF is not a stand-alone army, it was designed to be an agile defense force that can deploy troops swiftly in response to crises and assist in international operations led by NATO, the United Nations or other organizations.

Despite being granted “enhanced partnership” status in May, Ukraine is still pushing for full membership in the JEF, a goal it hoped to achieve this year but has yet to realize, according to Brusylo.

“Becoming a full-fledged member of the JEF was a goal we had for this year, which unfortunately has not yet materialized as some countries still had some reservations. … I am hopeful Ukraine will gain membership in the next year,” he said.

Joining the alliance, he said, would allow broader opportunities for Ukraine to not only observe but actively join JEF exercises, improve interoperability and knowledge-sharing and would send a message that Ukraine’s future lies with Europe.

He added that it would be a necessary step towards “enhancing deterrence without JEF countries needing to join the hostilities of the war.” Countries could also leverage Kyiv’s battlefield experience against Russia to improve their own capabilities.

In June, officials from eight Northern European countries, including the U.K. and Nordic-Baltic states, called for Ukraine to become a full participant in the defense framework. In a letter co-authored by eight lawmakers representing these countries, they argued that “if NATO cannot take further steps towards Ukraine’s inclusion, the JEF should do just that.”

Ukraine’s prospects of obtaining NATO membership have recently stalled. As of last year, at least seven countries were against the country immediately joining the military alliance, which included Germany, the U.S., Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Belgium and Spain, according to a report from Politico.

Brusylo said that while NATO remains Ukraine’s ultimate goal, full participation in the JEF would be a welcome short-term step.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

伦敦——据一位乌克兰官员称，乌克兰官员正在探索一种机制，以放宽无人机生产等领域的武器出口限制，从而为与波罗的海国家、斯堪的纳维亚国家以及英国和荷兰开展合作铺平道路。

自2022年2月俄罗斯全面入侵以来，乌克兰实施了武器出口禁运，试图将所有物资用于自身防御。近期，议员们一直在探讨如何解除部分限制，以增加收入，进而回流到当地军工产业。

“禁运仍然有效，但我们正在制定一项方案，允许对某些行业（包括无人机）解除禁运，以便与联合远征军 (JEF) 国家开展可能的合作和生产，”总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基的外交政策顾问伊戈尔·布鲁西洛在接受《防务新闻》采访时表示。

JEF是由英国领导的十个国家组成的联盟，包括丹麦、爱沙尼亚、芬兰、冰岛、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、荷兰、瑞典和挪威。

布鲁西洛补充说，正在评估的框架将包含这样一种理解：“只要战争继续，所有产品都将送回乌克兰供我军使用；但一旦局势稳定，战争结束，产品将五五分成。”

虽然联合远征军不是一支独立的军队，但它被设计成一支灵活的防御部队，能够迅速部署部队应对危机，并协助北约、联合国或其他组织领导的国际行动。

布鲁西洛表示，尽管乌克兰在 5 月份获得了“加强伙伴关系”地位，但乌克兰仍在努力争取成为 JEF 的正式成员，这是乌克兰希望在今年实现的目标，但尚未实现。

“成为青年欧洲论坛的正式成员是我们今年的目标，但遗憾的是，由于一些国家仍有一些保留意见，这个目标尚未实现。……我希望乌克兰明年能够加入，”他说。

他表示，加入该联盟将为乌克兰提供更广泛的机会，不仅可以观察而且可以积极参与联合欧洲远征军演习，提高互操作性和知识共享，并发出一个信息，即乌克兰的未来在欧洲。

他补充说，这将是“在无需联合欧洲远征军成员国直接参战的情况下增强威慑力”的必要步骤。各国还可以借鉴基辅在对抗俄罗斯的战场经验来提升自身能力。

今年6月，包括英国和北欧-波罗的海国家在内的八个北欧国家的官员呼吁乌克兰正式加入联合防御框架。在一封由这八个国家的议员联名签署的信中，他们认为“如果北约不能采取进一步措施促成乌克兰加入，联合防御框架就应该承担起这个责任。”

乌克兰加入北约的前景近期陷入停滞。据Politico报道，截至去年，至少有七个国家反对乌克兰立即加入该军事联盟，其中包括德国、美国、匈牙利、斯洛伐克、斯洛文尼亚、比利时和西班牙。

布鲁西洛表示，虽然加入北约仍然是乌克兰的最终目标，但全面参与联合欧洲阵线将是一个值得欢迎的短期步骤。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。