{"id":231039,"date":"2025-02-03T17:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T17:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/standoff-at-ukrainian-agency-disrupts-arms-contracts-suppliers-say\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T17:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T17:50:14","slug":"standoff-at-ukrainian-agency-disrupts-arms-contracts-suppliers-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/standoff-at-ukrainian-agency-disrupts-arms-contracts-suppliers-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Standoff at Ukrainian Agency Disrupts Arms Contracts, Suppliers Say"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/03\/multimedia\/03ukraine-defense-tklw\/03ukraine-defense-tklw-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Standoff at Ukrainian Agency Disrupts Arms Contracts, Suppliers Say\" title=\"Standoff at Ukrainian Agency Disrupts Arms Contracts, Suppliers Say\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">More than a week after it began, a standoff between Ukraine\u2019s defense minister and the official overseeing weapons procurement remains unresolved and is beginning to disrupt arms contracts, Ukrainian defense companies say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine\u2019s arms industry trade group <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=626721143339418&amp;set=a.257362570275279&amp;type=3&amp;ref=embed_post\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has said<\/a> that more than 80 defense companies, accounting for about a third of last year\u2019s supplies to the army, \u201care unable to receive payment for completed orders and sign new contracts.\u201d In one such case, a contract to produce 155-millimeter artillery rounds, a caliber used in many field guns, has been put on hold, the producer of the ammunition said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The standoff is unlikely to have an immediate effect on arms supplies to Ukrainian troops, the companies said, as current deliveries are drawn from previous contracts. But if it persists, it could jeopardize supplies in the months ahead at a critical time for the Ukrainian Army, which is already struggling to contain Russia\u2019s advance on the battlefield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the root of the issue is a tense showdown over <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/world\/europe\/ukraine-weapons-agency-standoff.html\" title=\"\">the leadership of Ukraine\u2019s defense procurement agency<\/a>, which had a budget of over $7 billion last year. The defense minister, Rustem Umerov, recently dismissed the agency\u2019s director, Maryna Bezrukova, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/mod.gov.ua\/en\/news\/official-commentary-on-the-leadership-change-at-the-defence-procurement-agency\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">citing<\/a> \u201cpoor procurement planning\u201d and delayed supplies to the front line, and appointed an acting head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Bezrukova has denied the claims of mismanagement and said her dismissal was illegal, because her contract was extended by the agency\u2019s supervisory board. She said on Monday that she would not resign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The standoff has escalated to the point where both Ms. Bezrukova and the new acting head, Arsen Zhumadilov, have been working from the agency\u2019s headquarters in recent days, including Monday, leaving international partners and defense companies confused about who was responsible for signing contracts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe normal day-to-day work of the defense procurement agency is just blocked,\u201d Serhiy Honcharov, head of the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries, said in an interview. \u201cWho is actually in charge? No one knows. In this chaos, it\u2019s impossible to sign contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Serhiy Bulavko, the head of the procurement control department at the defense ministry, told reporters on Friday that there were \u201cno disruptions in weapons supplies\u201d as of now and that \u201ccontracting is underway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The tumult in Ukraine\u2019s defense sector also risks derailing Kyiv\u2019s efforts to convince its allies, especially President Trump, to maintain support for its fight against Russia. A key part of these efforts was a new mechanism to fund Ukrainian weapon production with Western money through the agency, as an alternative to direct arms supplies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last year, half a billion dollars\u2019 worth of weapons <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/mod.gov.ua\/en\/news\/results-of-the-danish-model-of-support-for-ukraine-s-defense-industry-in-2024-the-armed-forces-of-ukraine-received-weapons-valued-at-nearly-538-million\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">were produced<\/a> through this mechanism. Kyiv aims to double that amount this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The agency was established last year in an effort to curb corruption in the procurement process \u2014 a move that was applauded by Ukraine\u2019s Western partners. It buys weapons from both foreign and domestic producers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine\u2019s minister for European integration and justice, complained last week that the standoff was sending the wrong message to Kyiv\u2019s partners. She <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/suspilnenews\/44636\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">told<\/a> the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne that NATO members had raised questions about the issue in private meetings. \u201cSuch aggressive public communication does not help Ukraine, inside and outside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Umerov sought to dismiss Ms. Bezrukova by declining to extend her contract as head of the agency. The move has sparked some calls for his resignation. But he appears unlikely to step down after President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced support for him in an <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lGq6VrLtqUc&amp;ab_channel=%D0%9E%D1%84%D1%96%D1%81%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%BD%D0%B8\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">interview<\/a> with The Associated Press released Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe defense minister has the right to do everything necessary to prevent any delays in supplies,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Vladyslav Belbas, the head of Ukrainian Armor Design and Manufacturing Co., a private Ukrainian arms company, said a contract to produce 155-millimeter artillery rounds that was slated to be signed by late January had been put on hold because of the dispute. Ms. Bezrukova confirmed that the contract had not been signed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThat affects our production capabilities. Because if we don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening, how can I scale the production or how can I least plan for the production?\u201d Mr. Belbas said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/03\/world\/europe\/ukraine-arms-contracts-payment-disruptions-army.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than a week after it began, a standoff between Ukraine\u2019s defense minister and the official overseeing weapons procurement remains unresolved and is beginning to disrupt arms contracts, Ukrainian defense companies say. Ukraine\u2019s arms industry trade group has said that more than 80 defense companies, accounting for about a third of last year\u2019s supplies to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/03\/multimedia\/03ukraine-defense-tklw\/03ukraine-defense-tklw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[180682,2539,13848,166964,6165,137233,1795,163575,179842,168195,34559,202,177148,31654,24289,52,1130,9292,177147,34139,8774],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231039"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231039"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":231041,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231039\/revisions\/231041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}