Zelensky: Ukraine needs USD 6B for interceptor drones, USD 25B annually for defense production

He made this statement during a press briefing with journalists on July 24, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“Production of interceptor drones has started. There are pros and cons. The pros: four companies are already active, and soon there will be capabilities across ten companies. (…) The production cost varies — some are more expensive, some are cheaper, with different capabilities accordingly. The current urgent funding requirement is USD 6 billion,” Zelensky said in response to a question from a Ukrinform correspondent.

He emphasized that a total of USD 25 billion per year is needed to fully support Ukraine’s domestic production of drones, EW systems, and missiles.

“Ukrainian drone production today requires USD 25 billion per year for us to operate effectively. This includes missiles, drones, and electronic warfare — that entire area,” the President added.

Zelensky also said he is currently in discussions with international partners to cover this deficit. According to him, the total weapons production funding gap in Ukraine reaches USD 65 billion.

“I’ve already started working on this. It’s a very difficult topic, but I’ve begun discussions with António Costa (President of the European Council), Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), the Americans, Mark Rutte (NATO Secretary General), Emmanuel Macron (President of France), and Keir Starmer (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom),” Zelensky stated.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, on July 23, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that four state-owned Ukrainian manufacturers had already signed contracts worth over 3 billion UAH (about USD 75 million) for the production of interceptor drones.