Before the upcoming Tuesday meeting of a group led by the United States, which is dedicated to providing military assistance to Ukraine in its conflict against a Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his country will strive to maximize its own production of defense equipment.

According to Zelenskyy’s Monday evening speech, it is crucial for Ukraine to continuously increase its production capabilities for strategic reasons.

In addition, his statements came after a discussion with Senator Lindsey Graham, who was visiting at the time. This comes as American assistance, which has been delayed due to political divisions in Washington, has been put on hold.

Zelenskyy said he and Graham discussed “the importance of freedom and democracy winning now, in this war, here in Ukraine, because otherwise Russian aggression and chaos will spread around the world.”

According to Zelenskyy, the military requires artillery, F-16 jets, Patriot missiles, and Army Tactical Missile Systems.

The current U.S. President, Joe Biden, has suggested an additional $60 billion in aid for Ukraine as a part of a security plan that has already been passed by the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has not yet addressed this proposal, as House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to ensure that the security plan also addresses U.S. border security.

The Ukrainian military announced on Monday that they had successfully brought down 17 out of 22 drones launched by Russia in overnight attacks targeting various locations across the country.

The Ukrainian air force reported that in addition to targeting the Kharkiv region, located along the border between Ukraine and Russia, the Russian attacks involved five missiles. Two other missiles were also aimed at the neighboring Sumy region.

The use of drones was widespread, as the Ukrainian military reported intercepting them over various regions including Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne.

The report contains data gathered from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.