In late July, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the program had "good dynamics." He then announced in August that Ukraine had carried out a successful test of its first domestically-made ballistic missile.According to Umerov, $4 billion has been already invested in the development of Ukrainian industry."Next year we plan to increase funding. Our priority is to develop domestic drones and long-range weapons, including ballistic missiles," the minister added.Speaking at the Forum, Umerov said that Kyiv also wants to unveil more details about a major Ukrainian missile program later this year or in 2025, Interfax-Ukraine reported.In addition, the defense ministry aims to attract foreign partners to create joint ventures to develop the defense industry."An important part of this cooperation is the signing of long-term contracts for the production, supply and maintenance of weapons to ensure that the Ukrainian army is supplied for the long term," a statement from the ministry read.Domestically produced long-range weapons are of key importance to Ukraine's defense strategy, as Western partners refuse to authorize deep strikes in Russia with foreign-made missiles.Despite Zelensky's appeal to Washington during his recent White House visit, the U.S.