**Ukraine Opens Doors to Foreign Firms for Military Equipment Modernization**
The Ukrainian government has approved a measure that allows foreign companies to participate in modernizing military equipment for the country’s armed forces. The initiative was announced by the Defense Ministry on January 13.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Anatolii Klochko, the decision aims to foster joint high-tech projects with international partners while adhering to global standards and ensuring transparent cooperation. This move is in line with Ukraine’s efforts to expand its defense production capabilities amid the ongoing war with Russia.
The initiative focuses on upgrading state aviation aircraft, ships, and their components using advanced Western technologies. Foreign firms with special permits for transferring military technology and exporting defense-related goods and services will now be eligible to collaborate.
Ukraine has allocated Hr 55 billion ($1.3 billion) for weapons production in its 2025 budget. The country has been actively seeking to modernize its defense infrastructure since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with an emphasis on integrating Western technologies to bolster its military efficiency and resilience.
**Additional Aid for Ukraine**
The European Union is allocating an additional 140 million euros ($143 million) in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. The move comes as the country continues to face significant challenges due to the ongoing conflict.
**Other Developments**
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, will sign a strategic partnership agreement during the latter’s official visit to Russia on January 17.
Russia’s FSB has designated the independent media outlet Komi Daily as a “terrorist organization.” Russian forces have claimed to have captured several villages in Ukraine, but a Ukrainian mopping-up group encountered one surviving North Korean fighter who had attempted to mislead them and then detonated a grenade to avoid capture.
Three sanctioned tankers carrying over 2 million barrels of Russian crude oil are floating off China’s coast after they were hit by fresh U.S. sanctions last week.
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