Ukraine seeks $6 billion to close weapons production gap, prioritising drone interceptors
Ukraine needs $6 billion to bridge its weapons production shortfall in 2025, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal told allies during a virtual Ramstein format meeting on July 21, as cited by Radio Svoboda.
Ukraine is determined to constantly increase its homegrown drone capabilities, with recent plans focusing on developing interceptor drones designed to counter Russia's frequent Shahed-type drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
"This would allow us to produce more FPV (first-person view) drones, more interceptor drones to repel Shahed attacks, and additional long-range weapons so that the war also continues on Russian territory," Shmyhal said during the meeting, Radio Svoboda reported.
The 29th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, known as the Ramstein format, brought together representatives from 52 countries under German and British leadership.
The regular gatherings of top defense and military officials coordinate weapons deliveries and other military support for Ukraine's war effort.
The U.S. was represented by its ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker rather than Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, despite earlier announcements by the British NATO mission.
During the meeting, the newly-appionted Shmyhal also urged partners to earmark Ukraine funding in their 2026 budgets.
On June 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the NATO summit that Ukraine has the capacity to produce over 8 million drones of various types each year, but lacks the financial backing to reach that potential.
Zelensky urged allies to scale up investments in joint weapons production, including drone technologies, artillery, and interceptors.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has rapidly developed domestic military capabilities, with particular success in groundbreaking drone technology.
According to Zelensky, overall, domestically-produced weapons account for more than 40% of the arms used in Ukraine's defense against Russia's war.
