Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Wednesday (July 16) that he hopes the new government can increase the proportion of domestically-produced weapons in Ukraine to 50% within six months. Currently, this proportion stands at around 40%.
Zelenskiy recently conducted a cabinet reshuffle, nominating Yulia Svyrydenko as the new Prime Minister. Svyrydenko, who led the signing of a mineral agreement with the United States, is considered a strong figure in terms of economic prowess. The former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been nominated as the new Minister of Defense, replacing Rustem Umerov, who is stepping down. These appointments are pending parliamentary approval.
As the Ukraine-Russia war enters its fourth year, diplomatic negotiations have reached a stalemate. Ukraine is striving to revitalize its economically challenged economy and develop the local defense industry.
Zelenskiy stated during his routine evening address that he reached a consensus with Shmyhal and Umerov on that day, deciding to give the Ministry of Defense greater control in the field of weapon production.
“Currently, about 40% of the weapons used on the front lines and in combat are manufactured in Ukraine. This proportion is already much higher than at any other time since Ukraine gained independence. While the production scale is indeed substantial, we still need more,” Zelenskiy said.
“Our goal is to increase the proportion of domestically-produced weapons to 50% within six months of the new government taking office through expanding domestic production. It’s not an easy task, but I believe we can achieve it.”
Zelenskiy has long emphasized the importance of expanding domestically-produced weapons and has actively promoted joint military production with Western allies. Recently, Ukraine has focused on manufacturing drones and developing air defense systems to counter the increasingly frequent drone and missile attacks from Russia.
Zelenskiy has also called for accelerating the development of drone interception technology, viewing it as one of the effective strategies to deal with enemy drone offensives. The Kyiv military authorities announced last week that they will invest $6.2 million to launch a drone interception system development project to respond to the continuous influx of drone attacks from Russia.
(This article referenced relevant reports from Reuters)