Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Boost Defense Production

Ahead of the latest meeting Tuesday of a U.S.-led group focused on military support for Ukraine in its battle against a Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will seek to maximize its own defense production.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday that it is in Ukraine’s strategic interest to expand its production potential every year.

His comments also followed a meeting with visiting U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at a time when new U.S. aid has been stalled by political differences in Washington.

Zelenskyy said he and Graham discussed “the importance of freedom and democracy winning now, in this war, here in Ukraine, because otherwise Russian aggression and chaos will spread around the world.”

Zelenskyy said his military needs artillery, F-16 jets, Patriot missiles and Army Tactical Missile Systems.

U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed $60 billion in new Ukraine aid as part of a security package already approved by the Democrat-led U.S. Senate. The Republican-led House of Representatives has not taken up the measure, with House Speaker Mike Johnson insisting a security package also address U.S. border security.

Ukraine’s military reported Monday shooting down 17 of 22 drones that Russia launched in overnight attacks that were aimed at areas nationwide.

The Ukrainian air force said the Russian attacks also included five missiles targeting the Kharkiv region, located along the Ukraine-Russia border, and two other missiles targeting the neighboring Sumy region.

The drones were widespread, with the Ukrainian military saying its intercepts took place over the Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne regions.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.