Zelenskyi: If every housewife in Ukraine can produce drones, then every housewife in Ukraine can be the CEO of Rheinmetall

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi responded to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, who criticized Ukrainian drones for their alleged lack of innovation.

The president commented on Pappergerʼs words on March 30 in a conversation with journalists.

"It sounds strange. If every housewife in Ukraine can really produce drones, then every housewife in Ukraine can be the CEO of Rheinmetall. And I congratulate our Ukrainian defense-industrial complex on this level, a high level," he emphasized.

According to the president, today "we need to compete not with rhetoric, but with technology and results."

"And we show the results of these technologies every day on the battlefield, on the ground, in the sky, and, you know, at sea. And I am sure that our defense industry will take and already takes its place in the world. I believe that we are so exclusive, only we have the appropriate experience," he emphasized.

On March 28, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger called Ukrainian drone manufacturers "Ukrainian housewives" who "have 3D printers in their kitchens and produce parts for drones."

“It’s like playing with Lego. What’s the innovation in Ukraine? They don’t have any technological breakthrough. They innovate with their little drones and say, ʼWow!’ And it’s great. So what? But it’s not the level of technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics or Rheinmetall,” he said.