Deputy minister: Ukraine ramping up production of kamikaze drones

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Ivan Havryliuk has said that Ukraine was ramping up production of kamikaze drones "to compensate for the lack of artillery shells".

“Additionally, it was increasing its own production of artillery rounds ‘for almost the entire range’ of its Soviet-era weapons,” Havryliuk told BBC.

He also said the country hoped to boost its defence industry by jointly producing ammunition with Western companies on Ukrainian soil.

Gen Havryliuk said this was the focus of negotiations with US companies when he accompanied President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his December visit to the US.

Ukraine signed a number of agreements with US firms to start joint production.

He said that Ukraine could not match the resources or manpower of Russia and the goal was to achieve technological superiority.

Gen Havryliuk said Kyiv was confident its international partners would overcome political differences to provide Ukraine with aid as before.

EU countries, he added, sent their assistance not only as a bloc but also on a bilateral level.

However, the situation has signalled to Russia that international support for Ukraine is weakening - and there are concerns that by switching its economy onto a war footing, Moscow can outlast the West in this battle of attrition.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his belief that the war would end only when Russia achieves its goals.