Zelenskyy says he aims to strengthen Ukraine enough that Russia 'feels its every strike will face retaliation’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he aims to strengthen his country to the point where Russia feels that its strikes on Ukraine will meet a response from Kyiv.

“Ukraine's task is absolutely clear: we must strengthen our state to the point where Russia feels that every one of their strikes will face our retaliation. This task can only be accomplished through sufficient domestic arms manufacturing,” Zelenskyy said at a meeting with representatives of Ukraine’s defense industry in Kyiv, according to a presidential statement.

Expressing his gratitude to representatives of Ukraine’s defense industry for their initiatives in the country’s defense sector, he said that the production of weapons and equipment has tripled compared to last year.

Zelenskyy further said that there is also an “extremely significant” increase in the production of munitions in the country, particularly for artillery. “Next year, special attention will be paid to the production of explosives and powders, which are in short supply worldwide,” he added.

"Anyone who provides Ukraine with equipment, shells, and all the necessary weapons also provides our state with political independence," he said.

Zelenskyy also noted an increase in the share of private companies in Ukraine’s defense sector, expressing that four out of five companies in the country’s defense industry are non-state enterprises.

He added that Ukraine's defense industry would become part of the international defense system, indicating that there are already agreements with a number of countries and global companies on co-production.