Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech at the international forum GLOBSEC 2025, emphasized the importance of developing defense cooperation, particularly in the field of modern technologies and unmanned systems. According to the head of state, Ukraine has all the necessary production capacities to increase drone output this year, but additional financial support from partners is needed to achieve this goal.
This is reported by Finway
Funding Drone Programs: Prospects and Challenges
Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted that Ukraine could ramp up the production of various types of drones — ground, maritime, and aerial — by 40% in the near future if adequate funding is provided.
“We must support all forms of defense cooperation, especially those that help us become increasingly technologically advanced and utilize drones of all kinds: in the air, on land, and at sea. Ukraine is ready to increase drone production by 40% in the near future, this year already. Our factories have the necessary capacities; we just lack funding. This needs to be addressed.”
The President urged international partners to act decisively to keep pace in the technological confrontation with the enemy, specifically to be “faster with drones than our adversaries.”
EU Support and Opportunities for Ukraine’s Defense Industry
The issue of financial support for the Ukrainian military-industrial complex was also raised by European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius during the Brussels Forum. He stressed that European Union countries must promptly utilize available financial instruments and credit resources to support Ukraine’s defense sector. According to him, the joint use of funds for the development of the Ukrainian defense industry will allow for more effective support for Ukraine in its resistance against Russian aggression.
Kubilius also underscored the competitiveness of Ukrainian military products, noting that Ukrainians are capable of producing quality weapons at a price that is half that of European countries.