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Ukraine has developed the industrial capacity to produce advanced military technologies at a scale that could eventually exceed Russia’s own capabilities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, UATV English reports.
In a statement published on Telegram, Zelenskyy described the growth of Ukraine’s domestic defense industry as one of the country’s most significant wartime achievements.
“An important achievement of our state and our defense manufacturers is that Ukraine has reached the capability to produce such a volume of technologically advanced weapons that, in the long term, it can surpass Russia’s capabilities. Today, this was the central focus of our meeting,” the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, the discussion brought together senior military leaders and representatives of Ukraine’s defense industry to identify the measures needed to maximize domestic production.
The talks focused on administrative decisions, financing, and other government support required to expand the manufacture of advanced weapons and increase pressure on Russia’s military capabilities.
“We discussed what is needed from the state—in terms of administrative decisions and financing—to maximize every aspect of Ukraine’s defense potential and strengthen our ability to exert deep pressure on Russia, its military capabilities, and its capacity to prolong the war,” Zelenskyy said.
The president specified that the meeting covered the full spectrum of Ukraine’s key defense programs, including unmanned aerial systems, ground robotic platforms, missile development, electronic warfare technologies, and other domestically produced military equipment.
He noted that the discussions formed part of a broader series of consultations that have taken place in recent weeks at the National Security and Defense Council, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Ministry of Defense.
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy instructed the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense to intensify work with international partners to secure additional investment in Ukraine’s defense industry.
“I expect concrete results and new agreements with our partners. Investment in Ukrainian defense production is an investment in bringing Russia closer to peace, and our partners should view this as our shared achievement,” he said.
The president also referred to Ukraine’s strategy of combining military strikes with what he described as “long-range sanctions” and “medium-range sanctions,” aimed at increasing the economic and military costs of Russia’s aggression.
According to Zelenskyy, recent developments have demonstrated that limiting Russia’s ability to wage war depends in part on making the consequences of the conflict increasingly visible within Russian society.
“Ukraine will continue pursuing a policy of increasing the cost of occupation for the occupiers and restricting Russia’s ability to finance this war,” he stated.
Particular attention during the meeting was devoted to Ukraine’s missile program.
Zelenskyy thanked engineers and defense specialists involved in developing new missile technologies, including ballistic missile capabilities and an indigenous anti-ballistic missile defense system.
“Today we reviewed our capabilities in detail and identified practical steps to accelerate production, testing, and deployment,” the president said.
The meeting also addressed the supply of air defense systems, which Zelenskyy described as one of Ukraine’s most urgent security priorities.
According to the president, securing additional air defense capabilities will remain the central focus of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts in the coming days.
“In the days ahead, the key priority across all diplomatic work, meetings, and negotiations will be air defense for Ukraine. I am grateful to everyone who is helping, and I am proud of everyone who is strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” he said.
Earlier, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that Ukraine is continuing negotiations with international partners on obtaining production licenses for long-range weapons systems, including the Franco-British SCALP cruise missile, as part of broader efforts to expand domestic defense manufacturing.
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