Ukraine to export surplus weapons, says Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: president.gov.ua)
Ukraine will export certain types of its weapons to other countries, which will help cover the budget deficit. In this way, drone production for the front will increase, according to the evening address of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I held the Staff meeting today. The main issue is the production of our weapons. There are clear volumes: what our army needs by the end of the year, also for the next year, and what we must have in our warehouses for defense, to maintain sufficient strength," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, this concerns sufficient financing for the production of Ukrainian weapons, as well as production together with allies and the supply to Ukraine of what partners themselves produce.
"The deficit in financing for weapons production we will cover starting this year, including through the controlled export of certain types of our weapons. Thanks to such controlled export, we will increase the production of drones for the front," the president noted.
He emphasized that Ukraine can produce certain types of modern weapons in much larger volumes than it can finance itself, and certain types of weapons are already in much larger volumes than are actually needed.
"An example is naval drones, which the world counts on and which we have in surplus, as well as anti-tank weapons and some other types," Zelenskyy explained.
The president stressed that the first priority is the front, the supply of brigades. The second priority is Ukrainian arsenals. And only the third priority is controlled export.
"Within two weeks, a concept will be presented – three new export platforms. The first platform for export and cooperation with the United States, the second platform is our European partners, the third direction is other partners in the world who are also interested in Ukrainian weapons and from whom Ukraine has received one or another support," he said.
According to the head of state, it is essential that this be mutual assistance.
"Ukraine will not engage in weapons charity and help those who do not care about Ukraine. We are ready to work with those who have truly supported us, our independence," Zelenskyy emphasized.
He noted that there must also be reliable export controls so that Ukrainian technologies and weapons do not end up in the hands of Russians and their allies.
"Our Ukrainian companies, weapons manufacturers, have spoken a lot about this. There is great interest in the world in joint projects with Ukraine for weapons production. There is also a clear demand for our weapons. Accordingly, thanks to controlled export, we will be able to accumulate money for greater production of those things that our army needs," the president added.
Weapons production in Ukraine
In July, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukrainian weapons production had increased 35 times since the beginning of the full-scale war. He announced that the country plans to further increase this figure.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the full-scale war, Ukraine has reached a new level of weapons production. Currently, almost 60% of the supply for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is Ukrainian-made weapons.
US President's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg stated that drones have become the key weapon of the current war, as they are capable of destroying armored vehicles from above. Ukraine has achieved significant progress in this field and even surpasses the United States.
Earlier, Zelenskyy reported that this year, Ukraine plans to produce hundreds to thousands of interceptor drones.
He noted that Ukraine will contract all available volumes of priority types of drones. Already this year, production figures will be higher than planned.
Shmyhal also reported that a new defense hub, Defence City, is being formed in Ukraine, with 25 leading global companies already involved. Investments are directed into weapons production, which are also being supplied to the front.
