--- title: "Ukraine Adjusts Its Weapons Requests to Match the Character of the War, but Does Not Change the Architecture of Priorities — Hetmanchuk" description: "The Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO, Alena Hetmanchuk, stated that Kyiv is adjusting its requests to partners in light of the changing character of the war, while maintaining the key areas: air defense, long-range artillery, and drone production." date: 2026-09-07T11:20:03.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-adjusts-weapons-requests-hetmanchuk tags: [ukraine, nato, defense, air-defense, drones, ammunition, getmanchuk] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ukraine Adjusts Its Weapons Requests to Match the Character of the War, but Does Not Change the Architecture of Priorities — Hetmanchuk ![Hetsmanchuk speaks at a podium on adjusting Ukraine's weapon requests to the nature of the war](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/ukrajina-korrektyruet-zaprosy-na-oruzhie-getmanchuk/ukrajina-korrektyruet-zaprosy-na-oruzhie-getmanchuk-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Ukraine regularly revises specific defense requests due to changes in the nature of Russian attacks, but the overall architecture of priorities remains unchanged. - The top priority is air defense: countermeasures against ballistic missiles and countering jet-powered drones. - The artillery request has shifted from standard 155-mm shells to long-range Extended Range Ammunition munitions, which changes the scale of funding. - The third priority is investments in the production of Ukrainian drones and missiles; a shoot-down rate of over 90% on interceptor drones was reported, along with requests for middle and deep strikes. - Hetmanchuk called the preservation of the architecture of priorities despite the change of defense ministers a positive signal for NATO. The Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO, Alena Hetmanchuk, explained in an interview with RBC-Ukraine how Kyiv is structuring its defense requests to Western partners amid an evolving war. According to her, Ukraine regularly revises specific items within the key defense areas, as these are directly affected by changes in the nature of Russian attacks. At the same time, the diplomat emphasized, the overall architecture of the country's defense priorities remains unchanged, and it is precisely this stable core, rather than a shift in tactical requests, that serves as the benchmark for allies. ### Air defense remains the top priority, but the threat mix is changing One of the main priorities, according to Hetmanchuk, remains air defense. Countermeasures against ballistic missiles continue to be a constant need for Ukraine, however, the emergence of new types of threats forces adjustments to the composition of requests. In particular, the Ukrainian side now also needs countermeasures against jet-powered drones, which reflects a shift in the tactics of aerial attacks and requires partners to provide corresponding systems and technologies. ### The shift to long-range artillery changes the scale of funding The changes also affected the artillery area. Ukraine, according to the Head of the Mission, has moved from using only standard 155-mm shells to longer-range munitions in the Extended Range Ammunition category. Hetmanchuk noted that this represents fundamentally different needs and, as a result, different funding volumes, which requires donors to revise not only the nomenclature but also the budgetary framework of their support. ### Drone and missile production — the third priority Hetmanchuk named investments in the production of Ukrainian drones and missiles as the third priority. Kyiv expects that the maximum possible share of the funding provided by partners be directed precisely to this area. At the same time, production is adapting to new challenges: first, Ukraine scaled up the production of interceptor drones and, according to the diplomat, reached a shoot-down rate of over 90%; it then formulated a request for unmanned vehicles for medium-range strikes (middle strikes) and achieved the corresponding result. A separate component, she said, became effective means for long-range strikes (deep strikes). ### A signal to NATO and Ukraine's role in the Alliance's defense Hetmanchuk emphasized that the preservation of the overall architecture of Ukraine's defense priorities despite the change of defense ministers is a positive signal for NATO. In a broader context, her statements fit into a series of public assessments: earlier, the Head of the Mission noted that Ukraine's membership in the Alliance is supported by a record number of states, and the issue of aid to Ukraine was identified as one of the main ones at the NATO summit in Ankara. Looking ahead, she said, Ukraine's experience and the defense capabilities developed during the war could become an additional source of military capabilities for the Alliance and partially compensate for certain capabilities currently provided by the United States. In parallel, open reporting mentions a scenario in which, against the backdrop of possible U.S. restrictions on the transfer of certain systems (in particular, in the context of the Tomahawk discussion), Kyiv is offering alternative cooperation options to individual partners, which underscores the flexibility of Ukrainian defense diplomacy. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Ukraine changes its weapons requests: Hetmanchuk names the main areas](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ukrayina-zminyue-zapiti-zbroyu-getmanchuk-1788779768.html) - Первичный источник: интервью А. Гетьманчук. Фиксирует корректировку запросов, приоритет ПВО, переход к ERA, производство дронов (90%+ сбития), middle/deep strikes и позитивный сигнал для НАТО. - [Ukraine's membership is now supported by a record number of NATO states — Hetmanchuk](https://zn.ua/POLITICS/v-nastojashchee-vremja-chlenstvo-ukrainy-podderzhivaet-rekordnoe-kolichestvo-stran-nato-hetmanchuk.html) - Параллельный контекст: заявление о рекордной поддержке членства Украины странами НАТО. Не противоречит основному тексту. - [The issue of aid to Ukraine has already been identified as one of the main ones at the NATO summit in Ankara — Hetmanchuk](https://www.bagnet.org/news/politics/1398980/vopros-pomoshchi-ukraine-uzhe-opredelen-kak-odin-iz-osnovnyh-na-sammite-nato-v-ankare-getmanchuk) - Параллельный контекст: приоритетность помощи Украине на саммите НАТО в Анкаре. Использован как фоновая ссылка в статье. - [Ukraine offered its services to Germany against the backdrop of a possible U.S. refusal to transfer Tomahawk](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2026/05/12/28450093.shtml) - Контекстный ракурс (май 2026): возможное ограничение со стороны США по Tomahawk и предложение Украины альтернатив ФРГ. В статье упомянут как параллельный сигнал без утверждения как подтверждённого факта. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What exactly is Ukraine adjusting in its requests to partners? **A:** According to Alena Hetmanchuk, what is being adjusted are the specific items within the key defense areas — the composition of air defense systems, the types of artillery munitions, and the kinds of drones — in response to changes in the nature of Russian attacks. The overall architecture of priorities, she stated, remains unchanged. ### Q: What three priorities did the Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO name? **A:** The first is air defense (including countermeasures against ballistic missiles and countering jet-powered drones). The second is artillery, including the shift to long-range Extended Range Ammunition munitions. The third is investments in the production of Ukrainian drones and missiles. ### Q: What figure on interceptor drones was mentioned in the interview? **A:** Hetmanchuk stated that Ukraine scaled up the production of interceptor drones and reached a shoot-down rate of over 90%, after which it formulated a request for unmanned vehicles for medium- and long-range strikes.