Zelenskyy mocks Rheinmetall drone remarks

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to remarks by Armin Papperger, chief executive of German arms company Rheinmetall, who described Ukrainian drone production as ‘strange’.

According to Unian, Papperger had suggested that Ukrainian drone manufacturers were akin to ‘housewives’ assembling components in their kitchens using 3D printing.

Zelenskyy responded with irony, saying that if that were the case, then any Ukrainian housewife could be chief executive of Rheinmetall. He also defended Ukraine’s defence industry, stressing that companies should compete through technology and tangible results rather than rhetoric.

‘We show the results of these technologies every day on the battlefield, on land, in the air and at sea,’ he said. ‘I am sure that our defence industry is taking its place globally in certain systems and in its overall approach. I believe we are unique. Only we have this level of experience.’

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