For the First Time in Its History, Ukraine Is Armed Sufficiently to Defend Against Russian Strikes – President

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On the Arms Makers' Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated workers of the defense-industrial complex on their professional holiday and awarded them state honors.

The Head of State emphasized that for the first time in Ukraine's history, the courage of our warriors and the resilience of the people are sufficiently armed to defend against Russian strikes. Ukraine has withstood the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation and is capable of taking the war onto the enemy's territory.

"Today, our deep strikes are no longer a sensation, although each time they are a very just and very welcome development. Today, our Ukrainian drones have fundamentally changed approaches to warfare. While once the outcome depended on the quantity of artillery, today the battlefield is defined, above all, by the courage of the infantry and the scale of drone deployment," the President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out that Ukraine is producing ground-based robotic systems, which are becoming increasingly important on the battlefield.

"We have our own electronic warfare systems. An absolute priority is our own air defense, capable of countering ballistic missiles. Many in Europe are now thinking about this, and it matters who will be the first to achieve it - independently or together with partners. Ukraine can be that leader," the Head of State said.

The President emphasized that Ukraine has reached a high level in the production and use of missiles, and is also manufacturing defense software, armored vehicles, and artillery systems. Thanks to the experience of Ukrainian warriors and defense industry enterprises, Ukraine is gaining global respect.

"We are already seeing this very clearly, as countries in Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf, Asia, and Africa are all highly interested in having Ukrainian weapons and Ukrainian military expertise contribute to their defense. We are developing formats that will ensure this," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The Head of State awarded defense industry workers with the Orders of Merit, I and III Class - one of them, unfortunately, posthumously - as well as the Medals "For Labor and Valor", and conferred the honorary title "Honored Machine Builder of Ukraine."

The President also spoke with Ukrainian arms makers about exports and international cooperation in defense technologies.

"We are following a model that is, in principle, well understood by many countries today, especially those that are very conservative in their agreements. They understand what a G2G agreement is - government to government. This is the primary level of agreement, which ensures accountability. No private sector entity, no individual private company, can bear responsibility before a state. At the government-to-government level, there is a higher degree of trust," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The President added that once a G2G agreement is in place, further agreements are concluded between enterprises, whether private or state-owned.

Separately, the Head of State emphasized that defense technologies are evolving very rapidly during wartime, and therefore defense industry enterprises must continue to propose new developments and advance the sector.

The discussion also covered the key directions of the strategy for the development of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that one of its key elements is a strong defense industry with modern production lines that will continue to be upgraded.