Zelenskiy Says US to Give Ukraine $800 Million for Drone Production

By Olesia Safronova

October 21, 2024 at 2:01PM EDT

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, during a news conference at a European Council leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. European Union leaders are struggling to maintain a coordinated approach on migration policy after member states including Germany and Poland announced strict new border controls. Photographer: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the US will provide $800 million of military support to Ukraine to finance the production of drones as the country seeks to bolster its defense capabilities.

“Every meeting with our partners involves discussions about the defense-industrial complex,” Zelenskiy said Monday in a daily address to the nation.

“We need Ukraine to be able to defend its sovereignty and independence regardless of any political threats in the world,” he said after meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kyiv.