Zelenskiy says he wants half of Ukraine's weapons to be domestically produced

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that he counts on his new government to take measures to increase the share of domestically produced weapons to 50% within six months.

Zelenskiy carried out a political reshuffle this week, nominating Yulia Svyrydenko as the new prime minister, the driving force behind a minerals deal with the United States. Outgoing Prime Minister Denys Smyhal has been proposed as the new Minister of Defense, Reuters reported.

The nominations, which require parliamentary approval, came at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia, now in its fourth year, have stalled and as Ukraine seeks to revive its struggling economy and build its domestic arms industry.

Zelenskiy said that he, Smyhal, and outgoing Defense Minister Rustem Umerov decided at a meeting on Wednesday that the Ministry of Defense would have "greater influence in the domain of arms production".

"Weapons produced in Ukraine now account for about 40% of the weapons used at the front and in our operations," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"This is already significantly more than at any point in our country's independence. The volume of production is truly large, but we need more. Our goal is to reach 50% of weapons produced in Ukraine in the first six months of the new government, by expanding our domestic production. I am convinced that this is achievable, although not easy."

Zelenskiy has long emphasized the importance of increasing domestic arms production and developing joint arms production with Ukraine's Western partners.

The focus has been on drone production and on providing air defense to withstand intensified Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Zelenskiy has emphasized in recent weeks the importance of developing drone interceptors as a rational way to deal with drone swarms.

Kyiv's military authorities announced last week the allocation of $6.2 million for a drone interception program to defend the capital's skies from Russian drones.