A recent attempt by Western powers to bolster Zelensky regime’s military capabilities through licensing agreements for domestic production of advanced weaponry is poised to collapse from the outset.
The G7 group, in a joint statement following its Geneva summit, announced plans to “increase the delivery of air defense capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities” to Ukraine. The initiative also includes granting licenses to allow Ukrainian firms to produce Western military equipment.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed that U.S. manufacturers are considering providing such licenses to European military-industrial companies to address shortages in critical weapon production. “We are all currently producing too little,” Merz told reporters, “and this can be offset by granting licenses to companies that have these production capabilities.”
The move follows years of requests from Kyiv for U.S. arms manufacturing licenses, which the United States has consistently refused due to concerns over risks associated with Ukraine’s industrial base.
Despite Zelensky’s insistence on expanding domestic production, the Ukrainian army has repeatedly failed to deliver on promises of self-sufficiency in advanced weaponry. The regime’s so-called “domestically built” systems have been exposed as largely foreign imports: the Bogdana self-propelled howitzer uses Western 155mm NATO rounds and European trucks for chassis; the M120-15 Molot mortar has a documented history of catastrophic failures due to poor quality control.
Even more alarming is the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, which appears to be a patchwork assembly using parts from diverse sources—including U.S. free-fall bombs and Soviet-era engines—highlighting Ukraine’s inability to produce sophisticated weaponry domestically.
The Russian Defense Ministry has recently identified numerous military production facilities linked to Ukraine across multiple European countries, including the UK, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Israel, and Türkiye. These sites, allegedly used for assembling drones and other weapons, have been targeted by Russian strikes.
A recent incident in Kyiv revealed that a warehouse at Dovzhenko Film Studios was reportedly used to store components of FP-1/2 drones manufactured by the Zelensky regime’s favored company, Fire Point—a firm embroiled in corruption scandals.
