Media: Ukraine-US talks on weapons in doubt due to government shutdown

The US government shutdown has put the possibility of weapons talks between Ukraine and America in Washington this week in doubt.

As reported by The Telegraph, a source in the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers said that because the US government had suspended operations after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on federal spending, discussions on a potential deal between Kyiv and Washington regarding drones have been left in limbo.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Ukrainian delegation had arrived in the US on 30 September for meetings with White House representatives to develop a technology exchange deal on drones in return for American royalties.

However, the talks were threatened by the shutdown, as federal employees were asked to stay at home.

"I don't see how they [the talks] will continue. The main concern is we have a lot of discussions ongoing about future shipments [of weapons]… All future projects are a little bit harmed because people from the Pentagon, State Department and White House are not meeting and we lose the time because of this shutdown," the source told The Telegraph.

They added that "other Ukrainian delegations who were supposed to come in the coming weeks are now reviewing their plans".

On 27 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a Ukrainian delegation would hold technical talks in the United States between late September and early October on acquiring weapons.

He said the talks would cover weapon purchases from the US through various programmes and a drone deal that could reach billions of dollars.