Ukraine army to get new types of weapons in 2019, not repair old ones.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said the state defense order for this year is "very optimistic," since it provides for the delivery of at least 20 new types of weapons to the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine wants to equip its army with new materiel rather than repair old one (Picture source: Ukraine MoD)

"This is a very good signal for all of us that we are moving forward without stopping," Poltorak told journalists in Kharkiv. Poltorak says Ukraine is about to enter a new phase of the development of its Armed Forces. It will namely produce more new weapons instead of repairing old ones. "We are working to move to a new level of the development of the Armed Forces, to stop repairing old weapons and old military equipment and start producing new ones – this is absolutely true," he said.