Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set a goal of raising the nation’s share of sovereign weapon systems to comprise half of the armed forces’ inventory within the next six months.
Currently, around 40% of the weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal are produced domestically.
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The wartime leader made the announcement earlier this month and reinforced the measure while welcoming the country’s new defence minister, Denys Shmyhal, replacing Rustem Umerov, who will now take on the role of National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) Secretary.
This latter position will still see Umerov continue to coordinate weapons procurement and manage the new array of production deals with Western suppliers. Some observers have suggested this move was a loyalty appointment; the role is said to encompass wider government control beyond the defence ministry.
Zelenskyy ordered that within ten days (by the end of July) the two ministers will report on the results of auditing agreements with partners regarding weapons supplies, joint production, and investment.
“This concerns everything: the Danish model, coalitions of capabilities, bilateral agreements, and especially agreements on building weapons factories on the territory of partners, as well as other joint projects. A clear timeline for implementation is needed,” the head of state emphasised.
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By GlobalDataEnsuring operational security
In doing so, Zelenskyy’s policy will tie Western companies intimately with Ukraine’s rapidly innovative defence industry.
“While Ukrainian innovators are constantly iterating new technologies and developing defence tech such as radars, this comes at a cost, and currently, Ukraine still relies on partners and cannot build all technology itself,” observed Andriy Dovbenko, founder of the UK-Ukraine TechExchange, a business support programme and forum for dialogue among British and Ukrainian agriculture and defence technology companies.
“Establishing more sovereign weapon systems is a capital-intensive endeavour that requires substantial investment,” Dovbenko continued. “Increased private funding, philanthropy, and international support are key ways in which Ukraine can achieve its desired objectives.”
Zelenskyy’s focus on sovereignty will cultivate permanent ties with global partners at a time when Russia’s full-scale invasion has reached three-and-a-half years, and as a growing number of conflicts around the world supplant Ukraine in the news cycles.
Critically, Denmark has recognised that Ukrainian system design is the key to uplifting European defence competitiveness with affordable and proven kit in its move to onshore Ukraine’s defence production, a policy announced during the Nato Summit in the Hague.
Similarly, British industry are striking deals with Ukrainian companies. Notably, a joint venture (JV) was recently established between Prevail Partners, based in Dorset, and Skyeton, based in Kyiv. The two will scale up production of the Raybird uncrewed air system; the JV is even considering establishing a manufacturing site in Wrexham, Wales.
“It is clear that Ukraine can produce almost anything when it comes to tactical warfare – from tethered drones to crucial electronic warfare capabilities that can jam enemy drones,” Dovbenko observed.
Ukraine’s policy and structural changes are also directed at the President of the United States, Donald Trump, whose warm ties with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, are under strain as the latter shows no sign of abating on the battlefield. Zelenskyy will attempt to secure as much US military assistance in the middle of this interpersonal drama as possible.
At the same time, Trump has withheld critical military intelligence from Ukraine before, and he has also redirected vital weapon systems to the Middle East at a moment’s notice.
In the end, global investment in Ukraine’s sovereign industrial might will maintain operational security when the war-torn nation can no longer lean on a fickle US administration.
