At the YES meeting, Denys Shmyhal outlined priorities for strengthening Ukraine to bring the war to an end

Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal participated in the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting.

Together with Canada’s Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Chrystia Freeland, and other participants, they discussed ways to end the war. The Minister of Defence of Ukraine emphasized that this requires a strong Ukrainian army, sufficient weapons supplies, and stringent sanctions against the aggressor.

“We must create conditions under which Putin will be compelled to sit at the negotiating table,” said Denys Shmyhal.

The Defence Minister outlined the key priorities:

• Preserving the lives of service members – a priority that calls for FPV drones, robotic systems, and artillery shells;
• Defending the skies – a priority that requires air defense systems and interceptor drones;
• Long-range strikes – a priority that requires the production and scaling of drones and long-range missiles;

The Minister of Defence underlined that it is essential to prevent any recurrence of aggression in the future. For this purpose, the so-called Kill Zone is being established – layered drone lines covering 10 to 30 km of territory.

Denys Shmyhal also highlighted progress in defense innovation. Ukraine is financing startups through a venture capital fund model, which has spurred businesses, small companies, and developer groups to implement new technologies into the domestic defense industry.

Moreover, an innovation center co-financed by the EU and Ukraine has been established in Kyiv. It is engaged in developing new technologies, launching startups, and providing them with financial support. Under the President of Ukraine’s Build with Ukraine / Build in Ukraine initiative, provisions are made for establishing companies and joint ventures in the EU and beyond.

“We stand ready to share our experience and technologies, as well as to establish companies and joint ventures across the EU and beyond. I invited foreign companies to participate in these projects and to invest in Ukrainian technological development,” added the Minister of Defence of Ukraine.