President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced the newly appointed Minister of Defense, Denys Shmyhal, to the teams of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to the former Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, his team, and the team of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, which is being integrated into the Ministry of Defense system.
“I am confident that Denys Anatoliiovych Shmyhal, having experience as a Prime Minister during wartime, a comprehensive vision, and sufficient determination, will definitely handle all challenges and can ensure the full implementation of all our important tasks,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that one of the main tasks of the Ministry of Defense and all defense manufacturers must be to provide a proportionate response to Russian strikes.
“All available interceptor drones and other effective drones must be contracted this week. Among the top priorities must also be the proper training of operators for such drones and support of the entire infrastructure: from production to the use of interceptors,” the Head of State noted.
The President noted that the needs of army aviation, the Air Force, and all units protecting lives in cities and villages must be met. According to him, it is important to increase the frequency and range of use of Ukrainian drones against Russian targets and to scale up weapons production. After all, every facility in Russia that Moscow uses to produce weapons must become reachable for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
“People must see, in particular, that Ukraine has its own missiles. Overall, the task regarding weapons is – thanks to increased domestic production – to raise the share of Ukrainian weapons in our Defense Forces to 50% within the next six months,” the President emphasized.
He highlighted that within ten days, Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal and NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov must report on the results of auditing agreements with partners regarding weapons supplies, joint production, and investment.
“This concerns everything: the Danish model, coalitions of capabilities, bilateral agreements, and especially agreements on building weapons factories on the territory of partners, as well as other joint projects. A clear timeline for implementation is needed,” the Head of State noted.
The President also said that the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the NSDC Secretary must intensify work in partner formats, including Ramstein.
Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the trust and said that the Ministry of Defense must step up work in three lines of effort. The first is to provide the military with weapons, clothing, equipment, food, medical assistance, and psychological support. The second is the production of Ukrainian weapons. The third is building an effective system within the Ministry of Defense that envisages efficient solutions and personal responsibility for each employee.
“There must be more Ukrainian-made weapons at the front: drones, artillery, missiles, shells. Our defense industry will produce the widest possible range of weapons,” he said.
NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov thanked the President for his trust and everyone he worked with daily in the team, summarizing the main results achieved as Minister of Defense.
“Almost 40% of frontline needs are met by the Ukrainian defense industry, 95% of drones at the front are Ukrainian, and ammunition and artillery production has tripled. Under the Danish model, we managed to attract over USD 4 billion in investments, and the volume of security assistance in 2025 reached USD 43 billion,” Rustem Umerov emphasized.
He noted that he will continue to perform tasks in another security area and wished success to Denys Shmyhal.