Zelenskyy Hopes Ukraine's Domestic Weapon Proportion Will Rise to 50% Within Half a Year; US Wants to Buy Battlefield-Tested Ukrainian Drones

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (July 16) that he hopes the new government will increase the proportion of Ukrainian-made weapons to 50% within six months. The current proportion is about 40%. Additionally, the Ukrainian president revealed that he and US President Trump are discussing a "huge deal" on drones, with the US purchasing battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones.

The war between Ukraine and Russia has entered its fourth year, diplomatic negotiations have stalled, but Ukraine is striving to revitalize its financially strapped economy and develop its domestic defense industry. This week, Ukraine carried out a round of cabinet reorganization, nominating Yulia Sviridenko as the new prime minister. Sviridenko previously led the signing of a mineral agreement with the United States and is considered an economic powerhouse. The former prime minister, Denis Shmyhal, was nominated as the new defense minister, replacing Umerov, who is about to resign. These appointments still need parliamentary approval.

In his conversation on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy stated that he met with Shmyhal and Umerov that day and reached a consensus, deciding to give the Ministry of Defense greater authority in the field of weapon production. He also revealed: "Currently, about 40% of the weapons used on the front lines and in operations are made in Ukraine. This proportion is far higher than any period since Ukraine's independence, and the scale of production is indeed large, but we still need more. Our goal is to increase the proportion of domestically produced weapons to 50% within six months after the new government takes office. It is not easy, but I believe we can do it."

Zelenskyy has long emphasized the importance of expanding domestic weapons and actively promoted joint military production with Western allies. Recently, Ukraine has focused particularly on the development of drone manufacturing and air defense systems to respond to the increasing frequency of Russian drone and missile attacks. Drones have become the most prominent method of warfare in Ukraine. Both sides use drones carrying explosives to conduct aerial attacks on each other.

Zelenskyy also called for accelerating the development of drone interception technology, considering it one of the effective strategies to counter enemy drone attacks. The Kiev military authorities announced last week that they would invest $6.2 million to start a research and development plan for a drone interception system to cope with the continuous influx of Russian drones.

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy also told the New York Post that he and US President Trump were discussing a "huge deal" on drones. The US would purchase battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones. In exchange, Ukraine would buy a large amount of weapons from the US. This agreement could bring transformative changes to the US military. The Ukrainian president said: "The focus of our latest talks with Trump is a breakthrough agreement that will enable the US and Ukraine to support each other's aviation technology - Ukraine is willing to share all the modern warfare knowledge it has learned from the three-year war with Russia."

The New York Post said that this deal could have a transformative impact on the US military and national security. Officials and drone experts warned that compared to the US, China and Russia have advantages in drone technology, and US soldiers are currently unprepared to operate drones and defend against enemy drones.

Zelenskyy said when talking about Ukraine's latest drones: "The American people need this technology, and you also need to include it in your arsenal." Ukrainian forces use these drones to break through Russian defenses, destroy heavy bombers, and strike targets up to 800 miles away from the border. "I think this is indeed a big deal, as people say, a win-win deal."

The US government released details of the 2026 fiscal year US defense budget on June 25, which significantly increased the budget for small drones. The White House pointed out that this is based on the lessons learned from the "Ukrainian war," stating that drones can achieve high efficiency at low cost and are an essential part of modern warfare. The White House also said that this budget will be used to deter aggressions by opponents in the Indo-Pacific region and to rebuild the US defense industrial base.

Experts have long warned that many countries are studying this Ukrainian conflict to understand what modern warfare will look like.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837945536707848/

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