President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with employees of Ukraine’s defense and industrial complex, thanked them for their work, and presented state awards.
"Our defense industry is already manufacturing more than a thousand types of weapons: from artillery shells to missiles and long-range weapons, to our drones. Over 40 percent of all the weapons used at the front to defend our country are produced in Ukraine," the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that, in order to ensure its own security, Ukraine will keep ramping up arms production both independently and in cooperation with partners.
"More and more countries and leaders are showing interest in working specifically with our defense industry. Almost every meeting with Ukraine’s truly strong partners includes discussions about cooperation with Ukrainian arms manufacturers and new agreements on joint projects. All of this is a sign of trust in Ukraine. And all of this, in many ways, is the result of your work," the President said.
The Head of State called on everyone to always remember the Ukrainians who gave their lives while working and fighting for Ukraine. The participants honored their memory with a minute of silence.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented employees of the domestic defense and industrial complex with the Orders of Merit, III class, one of which was awarded posthumously, the Medal “For Labor and Valor,” and conferred the honorary title of Honored Machine Builder of Ukraine.
The meeting was held on the occasion of the Defense and Industrial Complex Employee Day, which Ukraine is marking for the third time on April 13. On this day in 2022, two Ukrainian Neptune missiles destroyed the Russian missile cruiser Moskva.
