Ukraine has reached a level of production of high-tech weapons that could, in the long term, exceed Russia’s capabilities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this on Telegram following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, Ukrinform reports.
“I held a Staff meeting. An important achievement of our state and our weapons manufacturers is that Ukraine has reached the capability to produce such a volume of technologically advanced weapons that, in the long term, it can surpass Russia’s capabilities. Today, we focused most of our attention on this,” Zelensky said.
According to him, the discussion with defense manufacturers focused on what is needed “from the state, from administrative decisions and financing, to maximize all types of Ukrainian capabilities and ensure deep forms of pressure on Russia, on its battlefield capacity, and on its ability to drag out the war.”
The president specified that this primarily concerns Ukrainian drones of all types, ground robotic systems (UGVs), the missile program, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and military equipment.
“This discussion today, held with the participation of weapons manufacturers, was a continuation – at the highest level of military decision-making – of consultations that have been taking place over the past few weeks at the National Security and Defense Council, in Parliament, and at the Ministry of Defense,” he said.
Following the meeting, the president instructed the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry to focus on work with partners that could secure additional funding for defense production.
“I expect concrete results – agreements with partners. Investment in Ukrainian production is an investment in forcing Russia towards peace, and our partners must see this as our shared achievement,” he said.
In addition, Zelensky noted that the implementation of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions plan and medium-range sanctions” strategy has demonstrated that limiting Russia’s ability to wage war directly depends on making Russian society feel that the war has a direct impact on everyday life.
“Ukraine will continue its policy of increasing the cost of occupation for the occupiers and restricting Russia’s ability to finance the war,” Zelensky said.
The president thanked the specialists developing Ukraine’s missile program, including those working on effective ballistic missiles and an anti-ballistic defense system.
“Today, we effectively reviewed capabilities and defined steps that will accelerate production, testing, and deployment,” he said.
Zelensky added that the meeting also separately addressed the volume and timelines for delivering air defense systems, which Ukraine requires on an almost daily basis.
“In the coming days, the key priority across all diplomatic work, all meetings and negotiations will be air defense for Ukraine. I am grateful to everyone who is helping. I am proud of everyone who produces defense capabilities for Ukraine!” the president said.
As Ukrinform reported, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov previously stated that negotiations on granting Ukraine licenses to produce long-range weapons, including SCALP missiles, are ongoing.
