Each country that receives not only weapons but any technology or military services provided by American partners, automatically subscribes to the obligation to monitor the end use of such equipment, this is especially true for sensitive technologies, said Deputy Defense Minister Yuriy Dzhyhyr.

“The purpose of such monitoring is to provide reasonable assurances that recipients of equipment comply with the requirements established by the U.S. government for the transfer, protection, storage and use of weapons and technologies,” he explained.

According to him, previously the U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation conducted its own periodic inspections at the sites where these weapons were stored and used. From 2024, on the initiative of the Ministry of Defense, such inspections will take place jointly. They will be conducted by the Internal Audit Service of the Ministry of Defense and representatives of the end-use weapons monitoring program on the American side.

“We perceive the fact that the American side agreed to joint monitoring, firstly, as a sign of trust, and, secondly, as an opportunity to improve skills in the field of obtaining, storing, preparing and using high-tech weapons. For us, this is strategic important, given the course towards integration into NATO,” the expert emphasized.

He added that the signing of such a concept with the American side is the first precedent. It was followed with interest by representatives of the embassies of other EU arms supplier countries, who are also interested in introducing similar joint procedures on a bilateral basis.