The new Ukrainian government elected today will seek to expand domestic arms production to meet 50% of the country's needs within six months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, quoted by the Associated Press, BTA reported.
Domestic defense production already provides nearly 40% of the weapons used by the Ukrainian army, Zelensky said. Amid growing uncertainty about how much more weapons supplies Western partners can provide - and how quickly - Ukraine is determined to increase its production capacity and expand its strikes on Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Switzerland said the U.S. Department of Defense had informed it of a redirection of a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, which is in dire need of strengthening its defenses against increasingly massive Russian air attacks.
The Swiss Defense Ministry, which ordered five Patriot systems in 2022, said today that it had been informed by its American counterparts that they would change the priorities for the delivery of the missile systems to help Ukraine.
Deliveries of the systems to Switzerland, worth billions of dollars, were supposed to begin in 2027 and end in 2028. However, the Swiss government said it had been informed of delays in deliveries, and it was not clear exactly how many systems would be affected.