Speaking at a meeting with U.S. business leaders in New York, the president noted that Ukraine’s military drone sector has grown to over 300 firms, including around 30 large companies.
He described drone manufacturing as a “new direction for our business and economy” and added that exports would be limited to “countries we can count on—not to enemies or those closely tied to them.”
To support the effort, Ukraine will open licensed export platforms in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Zelenskyy also said Kyiv has already received a procurement request from an unspecified African country.
Zelenskyy first announced the government will lift the wartime ban on arms exports on Sept. 19. The decision was made to attract additional financing to continue growing the Ukrainian defense industry, as the war demands sustained technological innovation and manufacturing capacity expansion beyond what the government can afford.