Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikiev says the country has “every interest in retaining Western-supplied weapons,” but acknowledges the country needs to improve existing weapons tracking systems. In an attempt to head off rumors that Ukraine could become a hotspot for arms smuggling, Reznikov acknowledges that Ukraine “needs to move quickly” and we sponsor control of those weapons.
In recent days, international newspapers have reported on NATO and European Union concerns that criminal groups may be in Ukraine smuggling weapons sent to help the country deal with the Russian invasion. These weapons could be redirected to supply the black arms market in Europe, but the Ukrainian defense minister rejects this idea.
In an interview quoted by the Financial Times, Oleksii Reznikov says that Ukraine “has no reason to smuggle weapons”. “We need to survive,” said the Defense Minister, who also took the opportunity to reveal that some of Ukraine’s allies “sent military representatives to the country to monitor the flow of weapons offered.”
Ukraine uses NATO programs to monitor weapons in the country, but according to the defense minister, the number of licenses the country bought “was limited” and who could access the system too, so it will be necessary to expand these accesses and the amount. of licenses that the country has.
“We need to act quickly, we understand that,” says Reznikov, acknowledging that Ukraine is not doing enough to control all weapons entering the country. However, according to the official, heavier weapons, such as missiles or defense systems, are equipped with GPS, which also allows countries to monitor the location of the systems.
Source: Observadora
