Finnish armored vehicle manufacturer Patria Group is considering accepting proposals to set up part of its production in Ukraine, a global defense news outlet has reported.
Commenting on the matter, an unnamed Finnish Defense Ministry official neither confirmed nor denied the news.
"In general, we know Ukraine to be interested in Finnish defense industry products and that discussions to promote bilateral materiel cooperation have taken place between administrations and companies. Commercial export licenses have been applied for, and the defense administration has accelerated the procedure to deal with them," the official added.
Patria Group also kept mum on the issue, only saying that the company could not comment on ongoing discussions.
The reported developments unfold amid Finland’s drive to continue delivering military supplies to Ukraine as Russia furthers its special military operation.
In late August, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto approved his country’s 18th package to Ukraine worth about €94 million ($101.5 million), bringing the total amount of Helsinki’s backing to the country to nearly €1.3 billion (almost $1.4 billion).
This was preceded by the Finnish Defense Ministry pledging that it will provide Ukraine with more military assistance, including three Leopard 2 armored mine-clearing vehicles, bringing the total number to six.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO countries "play with fire" by supplying arms to Kiev, which the Kremlin said adds to further prolonging the Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, underscored that any cargo with weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian forces.
Media reports about Patria Group’s plans to start producing weapons in Ukraine come amid Kiev’s bungled counteroffensive, described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "failure" for Ukrainian forces rather than a stalemate.