Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the launch of interceptor drone production in the country, backed by a $6 billion investment, Report informs via Ukrainian media.
In a conversation with journalists, Zelenskyy shared that the production process has already begun. He highlighted that while four companies are currently involved in production, the goal is for ten companies to eventually participate, although financial constraints have limited the scale of production for now.
"Production has started. There are pros and cons. The pros are that four companies, and eventually ten, will have the capabilities. But why do I say 'will have'? Because they have produced individual units, but they don’t have the funding to scale this up," Zelenskyy explained.
The president also provided an update on Ukraine's defense needs, stating that the country has secured agreements for the delivery of three out of the ten required Patriot air defense systems. He emphasized that Ukraine's defense priorities include missiles, drones, electronic warfare systems, and stable funding for the armed forces.
"Ukraine has requested ten Patriot systems, and we are currently working with our partners to secure these. We're also working on missile production; we have missiles, but we're still fighting for the production license. It's important that a production site is emerging in Germany. While it's not in Ukraine yet, we're collaborating with our European partners, with whom we maintain strong relations," Zelenskyy added.