Zelensky: Partners know which of their weapons work and which can be thrown away

Ukraine has become the main testing ground for Western weapons during a full-scale invasion. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a chat with journalists.

Using European, American, and other weapons, the country has shown in practice what works in modern warfare. The Ukrainian army has adjusted the use of artillery and demonstrated which ammunition is effective and which is not. All this practical experience was shared with partners, the head of state noted .

"The partners clearly know what works from their weapons and what can, frankly, be thrown in the trash," he said .

The situation with drones is similar. The drones that our partners provided at the beginning of the invasion have now become ineffective. At the beginning of the war, they were a great help, but now they are virtually useless on the battlefield.

Ukraine has already moved to production of drones of a completely different generation. These newest technologies are now becoming available to partners, Zelensky noted.

The President noted that the Ukrainian army is the largest and most experienced in Europe, as it has real experience in a full-scale war. That is why it could become the basis for the joint forces of Europe after the end of hostilities.

According to the president, the creation of a joint European force is possible in the horizon of three to five years, although it may take even less time. He emphasized that Russia realistically plans to increase its army to 2.5-3 million people by 2030, of which at least 1.5 million already have combat experience.

According to Zelenskyy, without Ukrainian soldiers with combat experience, Europe will not be able to create a full-fledged joint force. To do this, he said, the EU should prepare a financial framework to keep people with combat experience in the army and not lose their knowledge after the war.

• on January 20, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not mind joining Europe's new military-political alliance if it wanted to create it as a replacement or alternative to NATO.
• On January 22, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said that the Russian army is not growing – the occupiers' losses in killed over the year have more than doubled.