Ukraine aims to meet half its military needs with domestic weapons as Western supplies slow

A new Ukrainian government will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40% of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelenskyy. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil.

“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory — back to where the war was brought from,” Zelenskyy said in July during his nightly video address.

“We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six mont