 Britain could produce weapons in Ukraine. Senior British defence industry officials are discussing the possibility of manufacturing weapons and armoured vehicles in Ukraine under a local licence, the Telegraph reported. Some executives have already visited Kiev to explore options for setting up joint ventures, the newspaper wrote. According to the report, British manufacturers are concerned that their French and German rivals could be the first to seal a deal with Kiev. One executive was quoted as describing the negotiations as a race to put London at the front of the queue. It was also said that such a licensing deal would likely require the approval of the British government. The news comes as Ukraine's Western supporters step up their military aid to Kiev amid its armed conflict with Russia. Britain pledged last month to deliver a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks for the first time. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hosted Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during this unannounced visit to the UK, instructed the Ministry of Defence to study the issue of supplying Kiev with further jets. We take these decisions carefully and we do it thoughtfully. We are aware of potential exploratory risks, Sunak's spokesperson said. Moscow has repeatedly warned that flooding Ukraine with foreign weapons would only lead to further escalation and that Western arms would be treated as legitimate targets. These actions will not substantially change the outcome of the conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that military aid to Kiev would only make the conflict more painful for Ukraine. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing Kiev's failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk peace accords.