Antonov joins European Association of Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries
This week, Antonov, Ukraine's largest aircraft manufacturer, joined the Association of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries of Europe.
Source: Bloomberg, referring to a lobbying group that includes companies such as Airbus SE, BAE Systems Plc and Rheinmetall AG
Quote from Bloomberg: "One of Europe’s largest aerospace and defense industry associations has welcomed its first Ukrainian firm as a member, at a time when allies are under pressure to reassure Kyiv of their long-term commitment to help fend off Russia’s invasion."
Details: It is noted that Antonov's membership in the Association is proof that industrial cooperation between European and Ukrainian manufacturers is becoming increasingly close.
"I warmly welcome Antonov as a new ASD member, an important step towards the integration of the Ukrainian aerospace industry in the European industrial ecosystem," ASD Secretary General Jan Pie said in a statement published Friday.
Bloomberg noted that this is just one of the latest examples of cooperation between Ukraine and Europe in the defence sector.
Earlier, European defence contractors also signed agreements with Ukrainian companies to help maintain and manufacture weapons directly in Ukraine.
In addition, the German company Rheinmetall and Ukrainian Ukroboronprom are establishing a joint venture to maintain and repair equipment supplied by Germany to Ukraine, as well as to manufacture Rheinmetall weapons in Ukraine.
Background:
This week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European leaders in Granada, Spain, to push for continued military support amid concerns about the ongoing flow of US aid.
At the same time, European support for Ukraine faced a new challenge after Robert Fico, a politician sympathetic to Russia, won the Slovak general election. Fico opposes military support for Ukraine.
As a result, Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová has already opposed a new military aid package for Ukraine. However, the next day, she changed her mind and stated that she would continue to support Kyiv.
At the end of September, Poland announced that it would no longer provide arms to Ukraine and would instead focus on its own defence.
However, immediately afterwards, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's comments about stopping arming Ukraine had been misinterpreted amid an escalating dispute between the two countries.
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