On August 30, a meeting of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi with BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn and the company's management team on the occasion of the opening of an office in Ukraine took place in Kyiv. Also among the participants of the event were Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov and Deputy Head of the Office of the President Roman Mashovets.

The President thanked the head of BAE Systems for keeping his promise to open the company's office in Ukraine before Independence Day. Dr. Charles Woodburn made such a promise to Volodymyr Zelenskyi during a preliminary conversation at the end of May. "You are an example for other companies to develop their presence in Ukraine and develop weapons production," the Head of State said.

The CEO of BAE Systems emphasized the importance of opening the company's office in Ukraine. According to him, this will help to effectively implement projects to localize the production of weapons. "BAE Systems wants to be a reliable partner of Ukraine in the war for freedom and independence, as well as in building a strong and sustainable technological defense-industrial complex to effectively prevent future aggression attempts," said Dr. Woodburn.

In addition, cooperation agreements between the Ministry of Strategic Industries, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and BAE Systems were signed during the event. The documents confirm the company's decision to develop weapons production in Ukraine in partnership with other domestic companies.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industry, emphasized that building a strong defense industry and transforming Ukraine into an arsenal of the free world will become possible thanks to the support and investments of international partners. "I am grateful to BAE Systems for the bold decision to stand side by side with us in the fight against Russian aggression and building the future of the Ukrainian defense industry. Together with the company, we will be able to localize the production of advanced weapons," he said.

BAE Systems is a developer and manufacturer of weapons already well-known in Ukraine: howitzers, IFVs and self-propelled artillery. In particular, it is planned to localize the partner production of L119 howitzers.

BAE Systems is one of the world's largest defense multinational companies, specializing in the production of various types of weapons, the aerospace industry, and the development of security solutions. The main production facilities of the company are located in Great Britain and the USA.