(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday the United States is preparing an aid package worth $800 million to finance the production of Ukrainian-made drones.
President Zelenskiy said in a video address in the evening that the package is in addition to a $400 million package for new weapons announced during U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Kyiv.
“We are also preparing another package: $800 million in financing for the production of Ukrainian drones,” Zelenskiy said.
“Ukraine is grateful for this. We need to ensure that Ukraine consistently defends its sovereignty and independence, no matter what political threats there are in the world.”
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has focused on expanding its domestic production of weapons, especially drones.
President Zelenskiy told a meeting with foreign weapons manufacturers this month that Ukraine could produce 4 million drones a year and was rapidly ramping up production of other weapons.
He said Ukraine already has contracts to produce 1.5 million drones this year.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)
