Agency Report –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his allies to support the production of combat drones in Ukraine at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group on Thursday at the US military’s Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Zelensky said the use of drones has changed the way wars are fought and that Ukraine’s rapid expansion of its drone capabilities is helping to repel Russian attacks.
“Please invest in this strength of Ukraine,” the president appealed.
He also asked the group of around 50 supporting countries for more anti-aircraft weapons, especially in the wake of devastating Russian airstrikes, including one on Wednesday in the city of Zaporizhzhya that killed 13 people.
Allies should also impose stronger sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to cut Moscow’s revenues, Zelensky said.
The meeting in Ramstein is the group’s last before US President Joe Biden leaves office.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius thanked his outgoing US counterpart Lloyd Austin, who has coordinated the format since April 2022, for his “extraordinary leadership.” Pistorius said it was now up to everyone to keep the Ukraine Contact Group alive.
