The Minister of Defence of Ukraine spoke at the "Ukraine 2024. Independence" Forum. He overviewed the Ministry's accomplishments over the year and outlined further steps to strengthen the state's defense capabilities.

According to Rustem Umerov, the Ministry of Defence has developed a long-term plan to move the Ukrainian Defense Forces closer to NATO standards to increase their effectiveness.

Modernizing the military through digital means is an ongoing endeavor: following the successful launch of Reserve+ and Army+ apps, there is an intention to develop a specialized service for veterans known as Veteran+.

“With the backing of the Government and the Verkhovna Rada, over $7 billion has been secured for acquiring drones, ground-based robotic systems, and electronic warfare systems. Furthermore, there are emerging prospects for partner countries to engage in investments within the domestic defense sector,” Rustem Umerov said.

The Ministry of Defence is dedicated to implementing infrastructure projects, such as fortification system improvements and military hospital reconstruction to provide medical care for Ukraine's defenders.

Fostering stronger cooperation with allied countries remains one of the key areas of activity. The Ramstein format involves more than 50 countries. This enables the Ukrainian Armed Forces to be promptly supplied with contemporary weapons, equipment, and extra air defense capacities for the defense of cities and crucial infrastructure.

In addition, the Minister of Defence highlighted that Ukraine is still in talks with partners to gain approval for using Western-made long-range weapons to strike military targets in russia, including airfields and logistics points used for terrorist attacks.

“We will destroy the military targets of the aggressor to put an end to the terror against peaceful Ukrainians. Force is the only language that the aggressor understands. An equitable peace will come only when russia faces a decisive rebuff,” Rustem Umerov summarized.