Zelenskyy: Ukraine has built strong defence industry and is changing cooperation model

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is not selling off its weapons stockpiles but is building long-term security partnerships with other countries.

Source: Zelenskyy in an address marking Ukrainian Arms Makers' Day

Quote: "Ukraine is among the leaders in the development of security technologies. Our Ukrainian security experience and our military expertise are now the most sought-after products for dozens of countries worldwide. But we are not building new cooperation with partners on weapons the way it was done in the 1990s or early 2000s, when Ukrainian weapons and strength were sold off like a Black Friday sale. We are not making fairs of our weapons, nor are we emptying our stockpiles. We are offering security partnerships – long-term and profitable for Ukraine."

Details: Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine's defence industry includes the production of missiles, unmanned systems, naval drones, artillery, ammunition, armoured vehicles and robotic platforms.

He stressed that Ukrainian weapons are developed on the basis of combat experience and are continuously improved during the war.

Quote: "We are also in communication with Kuwait, Oman, Türkiye and Syria. Countries in Asia and Africa are interested in our experience as well. Ukraine is a global producer of strength and security – that is already the case, and it will remain so. And none of this is a gift from Ukraine. Long-term security agreements in the Middle East mean funding for our state every year. It is fuel for Ukraine – essential in global instability. It is also the types of weapons that we lack but our partners have."

Details: Zelenskyy also announced talks with European partners on creating a joint air defence system. He noted that Ukraine will either become an integral part of Europe's security architecture or part of Europe risks falling under the influence of the "Russian world".

The president added that Ukraine has, in his view, the most up-to-date experience in ensuring maritime security. He noted that the Ukrainians have carried out tasks in the Black Sea that no one else has performed.

Quote: "When people talk about security in the Strait of Hormuz, it is often a theoretical discussion. Those who speak about it have not conducted such operations themselves. Ukrainians have. We have fought an enemy fleet, air strikes and naval mines – we have been through all of it."

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!