**Ukraine Works with European Allies to Boost Defense**
The city of Kyiv is teaming up with its European friends to make drones and long-range missiles. This will help strengthen Ukraine’s defense sector.
European allies are changing how they help Ukraine by giving money directly to Ukrainian companies that make weapons. These companies often struggle to get funding, reports The Wall Street Journal. Denmark was the first country to try this approach, which is called the “Danish model”. They used $680 million from frozen Russian assets to fund Ukrainian production.
**New Way of Arming Ukraine**
Under this new method, Kyiv gets to choose which companies work with its partners and what kind of weapons they buy. The allies then check if these companies are making good products. This way, Ukraine can get the equipment it needs quickly and in large numbers. They will still ask for help from Western allies for advanced weapons like Patriot interceptors.
**Ukraine’s Defense Industry Gets a Boost**
Ukraine’s defense industry is currently only working at 30% capacity due to lack of funds. But they can adapt fast to what the army needs. The Danish model will help speed up production and delivery of critical equipment, making Ukraine’s military stronger against ongoing threats.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen says this new method has many benefits: it gets equipment faster, helps Ukraine’s defense sector, and reduces reliance on donations. The approach also makes sure there is less corruption risk and that agreements are followed.
**Ukraine Produces More Weapons**
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was producing more artillery shells than in 2022 by a lot – 25 times more in the first half of this year alone. They also have plans to produce millions of drones every year.