Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion
The Swiss Defense Ministry, which had placed an order for five Patriot systems in 2022, confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department informed it that it will 'reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.' It remains unclear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots will be sent directly to Ukraine or if they will replace systems in other European countries that could be donated to Kyiv.
The delivery of the systems, worth billions of dollars, had been scheduled to start in 2027 and conclude in 2028, but the Swiss government revealed that Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday. The number of systems affected remains uncertain. The urgency of arming Ukraine's military grows as Russia intensifies its summer offensive, after three years of conflict, launching waves of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles on Ukrainian cities.
The timeline for when the promised U.S.-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, will arrive in Ukraine remains unclear. Former President Trump had agreed to send the weapons, but European nations are covering the cost. U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, remarked that he could not provide a specific timeframe for when Ukraine might receive additional foreign weapons. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can't verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it's going to be an ongoing movement,' he stated in Brussels.
'The plan is that there will be American-made defense equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,' he added. On Thursday, British Defense Secretary John Healey announced that he and German counterpart Boris Pistorius will co-chair a meeting of Ukraine's allies on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's weapons plans. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO head Mark Rutte are expected to attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said on Thursday that "preparations are underway" for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is collaborating "very closely" with Germany on the transfer of Patriot systems. Speaking at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, Grynkewich revealed that he had been instructed to "move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible" and noted that the exact number of weapons being transferred is classified.
A spokesperson from the German Defense Ministry, Mitko Müller, stated on Wednesday that he could not confirm whether any weapons were currently on their way to Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on Monday in Washington that the alliance is coordinating military support, with funding from European and Canadian allies. He highlighted commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada, with further commitments anticipated.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for nearly 40% of the weapons used by its military. Given the uncertainty surrounding the volume and speed of additional Western weapons shipments, Ukraine is eager to increase its domestic output and expand its operations against Russian targets. 'What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia's territory - back to where the war was brought from,' Zelenskyy emphasized in his late Wednesday 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,' he added. Ukraine has also developed long-range drones to carry out deep strikes inside Russian territory.
Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defense ministry reported Thursday. The drone attack grounded flights at Moscow and St. Petersburg airports, although most of the drones were destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk. In retaliation, Russia launched 64 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least one person, according to the Ukrainian air force. The assault focused on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region.
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