• Українською
  • Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024
    posted 13 February 2024 17:07

    Distinguished colleagues, fellow Ukrainians.

    We start our regular Government meeting in the East of our country.

    Protecting the state from russian occupants, strengthening our army, and creating the preconditions for defeating the aggressor are the top priorities of the state for 2024.

    We are working 24/7 to implement our security and defence tasks.

    In total, this year's defence resources amount to almost UAH 1.7 trillion.

    This is more than 22% of Ukraine's GDP.

    We need to spend every hryvnia as efficiently as possible to get the best result.

    The first goal is to boost the development of Ukraine's defence industry based on innovation and technology.

    Modern weapons that destroy the enemy are the key to future victory.

    First of all, we are talking about the developments of the Defence Tech cluster, scaling up the production of drones of various categories, electronic warfare and other means necessary for the frontline.

    The state has made a real revolution in regulating the production of drones.

    We have adopted 20 laws and regulations, and thanks to this, we have expanded manufacturing by 100 times.

    We have eliminated bureaucracy, and there is real competition among about two hundred private companies in the UAV sector.

    This year's state budget envisaged UAH 40 billion for the purchase of drones. And this is not the limit.

    The most recent technologies were already changing the course of the war.

    Naval drones have paralysed the enemy fleet in the Black Sea and ensured the security of the water logistics corridor.

    In just six months, combat drones have hit more than 14,000 targets: russian equipment, air defence and electronic warfare systems, as well as fortifications.

    On 6 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree to establish the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the Armed Forces. Thus, the potential of drones in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces will be maximised.

    ***

    In addition, Ukraine has made huge progress in the production of ammunition.

    Thus, last year, the production of mortar shells increased 42 times and artillery shells - 2.5 times.

    We expect a new high in growth in 2024. Deregulation, which has already been carried out, will contribute to this.

    We have established clear algorithms for the development and commissioning of products. This will attract even more Ukrainian producers to fulfil defence orders.

    Last week, the Industrial and Defence Committee of Ukraine was established to coordinate the work of ministries and agencies, defence enterprises and the expert community.

    Its inaugural meeting has already taken place. No details here. We have made a number of important decisions to synchronise activities and improve performance.

    Ukraine is developing its national defence industry capabilities, but it still needs the support of its partners. We maintain constant communication with them.

    We expect the EU to fulfil its promise to supply more than one million shells.

    We can see that the EU defence sector is gaining momentum.

    Yesterday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on European countries to combine their military orders to create large-scale production.

    Ukraine is in full solidarity with this approach. This will allow us to sign long-term contracts with European defence companies, thus making military aid stable and predictable.

    Joint defence ventures with partners, including localisation of production in Ukraine, are also a priority.

    Ukraine is working on this, in particular, with the Germany-based Rheinmetall. There are agreements with American, Polish, Turkish, British partners and other countries.

    With the help of our partners, we will continue to strengthen air defence.

    Ukraine is actively preparing the infrastructure for servicing F-16 aircraft and hopes to receive them as soon as possible.

    All this proves necessary not only for Ukraine's victory. It is essential for the security of Europe and the entire civilised world.

    ***

    Building solid defensive borders is the second main goal in our defence policy.

    The fortifications were being built at the expense of the state budget reserve fund, local budgets, military personal income tax and charitable funds on the NBU special account.

    Since the beginning of 2024, the Government has allocated UAH 20 billion from the state budget reserve fund for fortifications. Additional resources from other sources of funding amount to another UAH 10.7 billion.

    Not only the regions, but also the Ministry of Defence, the State Special Transport Service and the State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine are now customers of the works.

    Almost UAH 3 billion of the total amount from the reserve fund was allocated to the Ministry of Defence and the State Special Transport Service.

    Another UAH 16 billion was allocated to regional administrations. In particular, UAH 3.9 billion has been allocated for the construction of fortifications in Kharkiv region, UAH 1.3 billion - for Zaporizhzhia region, UAH 1.2 billion - for Donetsk region, and over UAH 1.2 billion - for Kherson region.

    We also established a unified approach to design solutions to unify technical, engineering and safety requirements.

    Today, together with the Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Vadym Filashkin we have inspected the construction of fortifications and engineering structures in Donetsk region.

    Intensive work has been going on since last year. So far, hundreds of kilometres of new fortifications have been built along the entire frontline. And the pace of construction is steadily increasing.

    In this context, a separate area of work is to involve engineering equipment from partners.

    We have raised this issue at meetings this week, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    In particular, machines for excavation and removal of obstacles, machines for mine and explosive disposal, repair and evacuation machines, trucks, tractors and many other engineering equipment that Ukraine needs.

    We are working to ensure that these auxiliary means are sufficient.

    ***

    Our third target is de-bureaucratization of the Army.

    The registration of military property has already been simplified. Commanders will not spend most of their time filling out documents. The record will be kept in an electronic format.

    It is critical to ensure that the transition from paper to digital in the military sector is orderly and fast.

    I also instructed the Ministry of Defence to continue the process of simplification in a tight deadline.

    The point is that commanders should be entitled to write off military property by their personal order without the approval of higher officials. This applies to property worth up to 100,000 tax-free minimum incomes, which is approximately UAH 1.7 million.

    These norms will not apply directly to weapons, but will allow destroyed drones, ammunition, cars and other property to be disposed of without unnecessary delays.

    This way, officers will focus on performing combat missions, not on bureaucratic correspondence.

    ***

    I would like to thank all those who defend Ukraine, who work for defence and supply the army, and I am grateful to our partners for their solidarity in military support.

    Together we are stronger, together we will win.

    Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!

    Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024 Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at Government session on February 13, 2024