Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western allies to provide $30 billion by year’s end to ramp up Ukraine’s domestic weapons production, citing the urgent need to counter Russia’s intensifying offensive and overcome gaps left by diminishing U.S. military aid.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine is “not operating at full capacity” and needs the $30 billion investment to meet the demands of its prolonged war effort. “This is not an issue of production capacity. It is an issue of funding,” he stated, stressing that Kyiv must accelerate self-reliance as Washington’s commitment wavers under President Trump.

Ukraine aims to increase its drone strike operations from 100 to 300–500 daily and build a stockpile of 1,000 drones—an approach seen as vital in offsetting Russia’s superior manpower and artillery.

Zelensky reiterated his call to use profits from $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance the war, pointing to a G-7 loan plan devised in 2024. He said he plans to attend the upcoming G-7 summit in Alberta, Canada to press the case.

“There are Russian assets from the country that brought war to us,” Zelensky said. “I believe there are many instruments available to finance Ukraine’s war efforts.”

New Russian Offensive Looms

Zelensky warned that more than 50,000 Russian troops have amassed near Ukraine’s Sumy border region and predicted attempts to penetrate 10 kilometers inside Ukrainian territory to create a “buffer zone.” He added that Russia still aims to fully seize Donetsk and Luhansk and may target the central Dnipropetrovsk region next.

The appeal for urgent funding follows a series of massive Russian missile and drone strikes—the heaviest of the war—amid stalled peace negotiations and strategic recalibrations by NATO partners.