Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a large-scale meeting with military leadership, during which the planning of further actions for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and increasing readiness to respond to strikes from the Russian Federation were discussed. The meeting included Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, and Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Involvement of Ukrainian Business in the Defense Industry
The President emphasized the importance of expanding the production of drones and missiles, which is currently being actively implemented thanks to the efforts of hundreds of Ukrainian companies. According to him, the entrepreneurial potential of the country is being maximally utilized for weapon production, which is already yielding tangible results for the Defense Forces. Zelensky expressed confidence that the number of such enterprises will grow, and the defense sector will receive even more support.
“And this means increasing the production of our drones, our missiles. I am grateful to everyone who works for this purpose. Hundreds of Ukrainian companies are already delivering results for the Defense Forces of Ukraine, and there will be more – I am confident of this. Right now, we are maximizing the involvement of entrepreneurial power in weapon production.”
International Support and Further Steps
Zelensky also announced that in the near future, the Ukrainian authorities are preparing new agreements with European partners regarding investments specifically in Ukrainian defense production. A special emphasis is placed on the development of unmanned and long-range systems that help save the lives of soldiers and monitor the situation at the front.
The President stressed the necessity of producing all key elements of modern weaponry, including strike drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, and Ukrainian ballistic systems. He added that while not all plans can be publicly disclosed, the goal remains clear – to ensure the ability to adequately respond to any threats from the Russian Federation.
Recently, Zelensky initiated a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, where a decision was made to significantly increase the production of interceptor drones and separately finance the Ukrainian ballistic program to expedite missile development.
In April 2025, the European Commission announced its intention to invest 910 million euros in the European Defense Fund, which will for the first time involve Ukrainian defense industry projects. At the same time, European countries are considering focusing support on the development of Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex instead of direct arms supplies.