70% of weapons used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces come from international aid

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to him, Ukraine currently needs weapons from its partners that are either not produced here or are developed in insufficient quantities. These include, in particular, air defense systems, heavy armored vehicles, NATO-caliber artillery ammunition, and more.

At the same time, the domestic defense industry is also increasing production volumes and creating new types of weapons and equipment.

“Government procurement is increasingly focused on domestic producers. For example, last year, almost 2/3 of the contracts for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the Armed Forces were signed with Ukrainian manufacturers. We have managed to reduce our dependence on imports, including special armored vehicles, and Ukraine is approaching self-sufficiency in the production of drones,” Havryliuk said.

According to Havryliuk, the production of long-range drones is developing best of all. Particular attention is also paid to the implementation of domestic programs for the production of long-range weapons, including missiles.

“These are the weapons that will be a serious argument for Ukraine. We need weapons of defense and deterrence,” the Deputy Defense Minister emphasized.

• On February 6, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that Ukraine had received the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France.