Ukraine to boost local arms production to 50% of needs within 6 months

A new Ukrainian government, expected to be approved Thursday, will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

Domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40% of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelenskyy. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil.

“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory — back to where the war was brought from," Zelenskyy said late Wednesday in his nightly video address.

“We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government’s work by expanding our domestic production.”

The need to adequately arm Ukraine’s military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, it remained unclear when promises of U.S.-made weapons, especially Patriot missile systems crucial for stretched Ukrainian air defenses, might reach Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is coordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada “with more expected to follow.”

Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia .

Russian air defenses shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country’s defense ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk.

Burrows reported from Wiesbaden, Germany. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

乌克兰总统泽连斯基表示，预计将于周四获得批准的新一届乌克兰政府将加快扩大国内武器生产，以在六个月内满足该国一半的武器需求，从而抵御俄罗斯的入侵。

泽连斯基表示，乌克兰军队使用的武器中，近40%已来自国内国防制造。随着西方国家能够提供多少武器以及交付速度的不确定性日益增加，乌克兰急于提高自身武器产量，并扩大对俄罗斯境内的打击范围。

泽连斯基在周三晚间的例行视频讲话中表示：“我们需要更强大的能力，将战争推回俄罗斯的领土——推回战争爆发的地方。”

“我们必须在新政府执政的头六个月内，通过扩大国内生产，使乌克兰制造的武器占比达到50%。”

随着俄罗斯推进夏季攻势，并用数百架无人机、弹道导弹和巡航导弹轰炸乌克兰城市，为乌克兰军队提供充足武器装备的需求变得迫切。

与此同时，美国承诺提供的武器，特别是对乌克兰捉襟见肘的防空系统至关重要的“爱国者”导弹系统，何时才能运抵乌克兰仍不明朗。美国总统唐纳德·特朗普已同意提供这些武器，但费用将由欧洲国家承担。

北约秘书长马克·吕特周一在华盛顿表示，北约正在协调军事援助，资金来自欧洲和加拿大的盟国。他表示，德国、芬兰、丹麦、瑞典、挪威、英国、荷兰和加拿大已经做出承诺，“预计会有更多国家跟进”。

乌克兰也研发了自己的远程无人机，并利用这些无人机对俄罗斯境内纵深目标进行打击。

俄罗斯国防部周四表示，俄方防空部队一夜之间击落了122架乌克兰无人机。这波无人机袭击导致莫斯科和圣彼得堡的机场航班停飞，但据报道，大部分无人机是在布良斯克和库尔斯克边境地区上空被摧毁的。

伯罗斯从德国威斯巴登报道。盖尔·穆尔森在柏林对此报道亦有贡献。