President Zelensky Wants Ukraine's Domestic Missile Program To Be Speeded Up

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday Ukraine needed to secure and deploy advanced missiles, to achieve faster results with these missiles on the battlefield.

Speaking in his evening video address, President Zelensky said a meeting with the top commanders had been devoted to the development of domestic weapons supply in the war for more than two and a half years against Russia.

This, he said, involved drones, electronic warfare, and most importantly, deploying missiles that would reap rapid benefits in confrontation on the battlefield with Russian troops.

"Special emphasis is put on our national missile program in all its elements. In all achievements of Ukrainian missiles, there must be more combat achievements both at the forefront and in Russian territory," President Zelensky said.

"Results are needed faster. And all relevant tasks are now being carried out," he continued.

It is known, since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has asked its Western partners, especially the United States, to supply advanced long-range missiles.

On the other hand, Ukraine is also focusing on rapidly developing the domestic weapons industry. Most of its focus is on drones, with President Zelensky calling out last year for 1 million drones to be produced by 2024, but officials also stressed the importance of missile development.

This month, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine would announce in the coming months the development of new missiles, including ballistic missiles.