Fedorov outlines Ukraine’s critical military needs to maintain battlefield edge

"We need the next level of aid to be able to finish the job," Fedorov said.

“If we have enough resources to launch a new cycle of war innovations before Russia adapts to the current one, we will get another six months.”

The minister is working on, among other tasks, improving the country’s air defenses, reforming the recruitment system, and increasing salaries for military personnel. These changes, however, need funding, and Fedorov is asking Ukraine’s allies to urgently ramp up support, Politico reported.

"In a war of technology, you can see how quickly you can turn the tide. It all depends on the speed of financing and our actions,” the Defense Minister said. “Ukraine is protecting the entirety of Europe from Russians.”

He stated that the financial aid allocated to Ukraine through the European Peace Fund can become a factor that will fundamentally change the situation and accelerate the current successes of the Defence Forces on the battlefield.

“So, I think we need to launch consultations with every country that will be hesitating,” Fedorov said. He noted that the EU has become much faster at processing aid for Ukraine, calling it “the EU 2.0”.

Fedorov has a clear idea on how to use the funds, Politico wrote. One is to refocus aid on what Ukraine needs, and not what's convenient for donor countries to give. The minister gave Denmark as an example, which has switched orders of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition to extended-range variants more useful on the front lines.

"They quickly signed a contract and made the first delivery in just a week. If there is a desire and strength to overcome bureaucracy, everything is possible,” Fedorov said.

He added that, in coordination with international partners, structural changes to the aid delivery system have been implemented to direct billions of dollars toward Ukraine’s most critical needs: expanding the production of interceptor missiles, low-cost missiles, cruise missiles, and jet-powered drones.

“Our middle-strike campaign is aimed at protecting our infantry, stopping Russian advancement, and disrupting their resupply,” the minister said.

“Russians already feel it. At some parts of the front, they slowed down.”

Fedorov pointed out that the faster partners send military aid, the better the chance of freeing up government funds to pay higher salaries to military personnel.

"Today, the Ukrainian army is the most prepared in Europe. Where else you would find troops able to destroy 30,000 to 35,000 Russian soldiers per month?” he concluded.

Ukraine’s state budget received $4.4 billion on June 30 from the European Union as part of the first defense tranche under the Ukraine Support Loan program. These funds will be used to finance priority military needs, including expanding Ukraine’s defense industry and securing urgent supply deliveries to the frontline.

Ukraine received 3.9 billion euros from the European Union under the first defense tranche of the Ukraine Support Loan program on June 25.