Olha Reshetylova has been tasked by the government with overseeing soldiers’ rights. Some commanders resent her, but she says her work makes the armed forces stronger.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that President Trump “still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side.”

Ukraine has created online marketplaces to let units select their own drones, a break from generations of standardized and centralized weapons procurement.

Ukraine wants to leverage its defense expertise into security partnerships and to reap potentially vast profits for its arms industry.

The country has prioritized self-sufficiency in producing a crucial battlefield weapon, though weaning itself fully off cheaper Chinese components is difficult.