Ukraine focuses on building Armed Forces, securing new weapons — ambassador

She said this in an interview with LB.ua.

“We are working in several directions. First — quickly locating and delivering the aid packages allocated by the previous Congress last year,” Markarova noted.

According to her, under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) programs, there are still resources that the Pentagon and U.S. administration can use to provide Ukraine with additional weapons.

“Second — any additional packages that could be allocated. This is a complex issue,” the ambassador remarked.

She emphasized that although providing aid free of charge is not currently a U.S. priority, Ukraine continues to raise this matter “because it’s about strengthening both our countries.”

Markarova believes joint weapons production, especially of drones, is a particularly important area.

“The third direction is joint production. Very important. Especially on drones, where we can build something together that will deliver quick results and also strengthen the United States,” she added.

The fourth direction is the purchase of weapons, including air defense systems such as the Patriot. These involve commercial contracts that financial partners from European countries may join.

“We are working on all fronts because we understand: we need weapons now, and we will still need them in a year, two, five years. God willing, our joint pressure, sanctions, and everything else will lead Putin to realize he cannot win this war and seriously start negotiations. But even then, we understand Russia’s aggressive intentions will not disappear. That’s why building up our Armed Forces is the number one priority now during the war and will definitely remain the top priority in peace,” the ambassador emphasized.

Markarova also emphasized the importance of speeding up deliveries of already ordered weapons, as some were funded back in 2022–2023 but are only arriving now.

“These are weapon purchase packages that went into production, and some of the equipment we’re receiving now was ordered two, one, or even three years ago. That’s why I said the number one priority is the rapid delivery of what should be supplied now, with maximum acceleration,” she explained.

Markarova also mentioned the possibility of “queue-jumping” in the arms industry. She explained that thanks to cooperation with friendly countries and with the help of the producing country, Ukraine can receive weapons out of the general queue because another country gives up its place. This mechanism was successfully used last year and continues to be applied.

• On July 25, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that new air defense systems, provided by the United States and paid for by European partners, will soon arrive in Ukraine.