Ukraine needs $6B to close weapons production gap — Denys Shmyhal
Ukraine needs $6 billion to close its weapons production gap by the end of 2025, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a Ramstein-format meeting on July 21.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said new funding will significantly boost the production of FPV drones, interceptor drones used to combat Shahed UAVs, and additional models of long-range weapons.
“This is necessary so that the war continues on the territory of Russia,” Shmyhal said.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed Shmyhal and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov to conduct a full audit of all defense agreements with international partners.
On July 18, Shmyhal reported to Zelenskyy that an audit had already begun, focusing on expediting contracts for the domestic production of interceptor drones.
Shmyhal, who recently took over as defense minister, also pledged to raise the share of Ukrainian-made weapons at the front from 40% to 50%.
He and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov have committed to scaling up domestic drone production as part of Ukraine’s strategy to strengthen technological capabilities in warfare.
On July 7, Defense Express analysts reported that Ukraine had increased its drone production by 900% over the past year — one of the government's key responses to the prolonged war, which is reshaping battlefield tactics and accelerating the need for modern military solutions.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
