European and United States G7 countries will license companies based in Ukraine to produce long-range missiles and air defense systems, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirming the move.
The announcement was made at a G7 meeting in the French city of Evian on June 15-17 attended by leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, who pledged to step up pressure on Russia to end the war that has lasted more than four years against Ukraine.
"We will produce under license not only air defense systems, but also long-range strike capabilities," said the diplomatic source, citing Al Arabiya from AFP (18/9)
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Merz confirmed the decision, telling reporters: "Right now we are all producing too little, and this can be offset by licensing companies that have this production capability, including European and Ukrainian companies."
"US companies, in particular, will be able to license for this purpose to European manufacturers," said Chancellor Merz, adding that he was "grateful" to US President Donald Trump "for this great willingness to cooperate."
The decision follows a G7 statement overnight pledging to "increase the delivery of air defense capacity, additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities" to Kyiv, and to consider licenses to increase Ukraine's domestic military production.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said the G7 summit in France produced results that could strengthen support for his country amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
President Zelensky said on Telegram, the participants agreed on additional measures aimed at improving Ukraine's air defense capabilities as well as further steps to increase pressure on Russia.
"The G7 summit in France brought important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we have agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine's air defense," he said, launching Anadolu.
President Zelensky noted that international partners have pledged to continue to support Ukraine's security and energy security, adding that the summit helped build a common understanding among participants of the main challenges facing Ukraine and the steps needed to overcome them.
Kyiv, which is facing a massive Russian air assault and a shortage of air defense munitions, is heavily reliant on its Western allies to help it fight off the missile onslaught.
The war in the Middle East, which has led US allies to spend huge amounts of air defence munitions to protect locations in the Gulf, has exacerbated the air defence munitions shortage Ukraine has faced since the start of the war.
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