In his evening address on October 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and France are working together to establish new joint production facilities for defense.
The agreement was reached after Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on October 10. Zelensky began a multi-country trip to various European allies earlier this week in order to discuss his “victory plans” and present them.
Zelensky stated in his evening speech that “every foreign visit is always an opportunity to discuss investment in Ukraine’s Industrial Sector”.
Zelensky didn’t provide details on the development of a production partnership but he did point out the success of the Danish Model in attracting investment in defense production.
Denmark was the first country in June to offer to donate weapons to Ukraine by purchasing directly from the Ukrainian defense industry. Kyiv‘s defense budget is not able to match the domestic weapon production capacity.
Zelensky stated that “the Danish model already works…and we consider the new French models as an opportunity to attract investment specifically for the establishment of new production facilities.”
Zelensky said that the respective defense ministers of both countries are working to establish an agreement.
“This is the personal responsibility of the Minister of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industries. They must ensure that our agreements are met.”
Sebastien Lecornu, the French Defense Minister, said earlier this week that he expected Ukraine to receive its first Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France in the 1st quarter of 2025.
Ukraine continues to increase its domestic drone and ammunition production in an effort to become more independent of its Western partners. Ukraine still relies on foreign funding despite its best efforts as the government can only cover a part of the budget.
The Press Play Prague Film Festival awarded the Best Film Award to the Kyiv Independent‘s investigative film “He Came Back” on October 12. It reveals sexual crimes committed by the Russians during their occupation of Kyiv, Kherson and other oblasts at the beginning of 2022.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on October 12 that Iran had delivered two satellites manufactured in Iran to Russia for a launch scheduled soon. This is the latest example of space cooperation between two nations that are both under U.S. sanction.
Dusan Bajatovic is the CEO of Srbijagas – a state-owned Serbian company – and Alexey Miller is the CEO of Gazprom – a Russian state-owned energy giant. They expect Russian gas supplies to reach about 400 million cubic metres this winter.
Ukrainian troops, in cooperation with the Intelligence Service (HUR), struck a depot that contained oil and petroleum products used for the Russian military near Rovenky.
Ukraine’s officials reported that Russia has carried out massive attacks in Ukraine’s southern, eastern and southern regions in the last 24 hour. At least three civilians have been killed and 14 others injured.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on October 12 that Russia has lost 667 630 troops since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, announced that a priority of Poland’s EU Presidency in early 2025 would be the European Integration of Ukraine and maintaining a “Open Door to Europe” policy towards new members.
A proposed reform to the European Peace Facility would make financial contributions optional, in order to bypass Hungary’s objection to military aid to Ukraine. This has led to a backlog of 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion).
A senior U.S. government official said, “It is time to craft a new strategic approach in terms of the specific positions (of the allies).” Defense ministers of NATO member nations will meet in Brussels on October 17-18 to discuss this issue.
Mike Johnson, the U.S. House speaker, said on October 11 that he did not want to see any more funding for Ukraine.
Video footage from the scene shows officers standing outside the venue’s doors, intercepting male concertgoers as they exit the venue. Some men are seen being arrested by officers.
According to new estimates, MOL which owns refineries both in Hungary and Slovakia will be able process non-Urals crude oil by the end 2026 as opposed to earlier estimates that it would happen early 2026.
Slovak Foreign Ministry Juraj Blanar announced on October 11 that Slovakia will expand its base in Michalovce and repair Ukrainian military equipment rather than supplying new arms to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, thanked Germany for their support but stressed the importance of German aid next year and its need to remain unchanged.
Several months back, these infantrymen served their sentences in prison. They are now part of the 1st Separate Assault Battalion (also known as “Da Vinci”).
In a statement released on October 11, the spokesperson for the European Union’s External Service said that it was “appalled by” Victoria Roshchyna’s death and demanded an “independent and thorough” investigation into her death.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had planned to merge Defense Procurement Agency and State Rear Operator into one agency, but changed his mind when a NATO announcement said that the agencies should remain separate and two separate supervision boards should be established.
Operational Command South reported on October 11 that since the beginning of the week, Ukraine has repelled 29 Russian assaults in the oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
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