Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal took part in the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting, where he joined Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland and other participants to discuss ways to end the war.
Shmyhal stressed that victory requires a strong Ukrainian army, sufficient weapons, and powerful sanctions against Russia.
“We must create conditions under which Putin will be forced to sit at the negotiating table,” Shmyhal stated.
He outlined three key priorities for Ukraine’s defense:
- Preserving soldiers’ lives — through FPV drones, robotic systems, and artillery shells;
- Air defense — with advanced anti-aircraft systems and interceptor drones;
- Long-range strikes — by scaling up the production of long-range drones and missiles.
The minister emphasized the importance of preventing future aggression. For this, Ukraine is developing a so-called “Kill Zone” — lines of drones covering 10 to 30 kilometers of territory.
Shmyhal also highlighted progress in defense innovation. Ukraine is financing startups using a venture fund model, which has encouraged businesses, small firms, and developer groups to introduce new technologies into the defense sector.
In addition, an innovation center funded jointly by the EU and Ukraine has been opened in Kyiv. The center focuses on developing new technologies, launching startups, and supporting them with financing. As part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Build with Ukraine / Build in Ukraine initiative, the project foresees the creation of companies and joint ventures both in the EU and beyond.
“We are ready to share our experience and technologies, to create companies and joint ventures in EU countries and beyond. I invited foreign companies to join projects and invest in Ukrainian developments,” Shmyhal added.
He also thanked Chrystia Freeland for Canada’s unwavering support of Ukraine.
