Ukraine's plans for missile and drone production and Johnson's reelection: news highlights from January 3rd.

Ukraine aims to produce 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long-range drones. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives has supported Mike Johnson's candidacy for Speaker for the second time.

For more details on what happened on Friday, January 3rd, see the article from RBK-Ukraine.

Ukraine plans to produce 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long-range drones

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky instructed to produce 30,000 long-range drones. Ukrainian enterprises also plan to manufacture approximately 3,000 missiles.

A total of 2 trillion 230 billion hryvnias has been allocated for defense and security in 2025. Taxpayer funds from the state budget will be directed toward these goals. Expenditures on armaments and military equipment will amount to no less than 739 billion hryvnias.

Ukrainian defense industry enterprises plan to increase production capabilities to 30 billion dollars. As part of the "Victory Weapon" project, the government will launch long-term contracts with manufacturers for 3-5 years.

Johnson re-elected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives supported Mike Johnson's candidacy for Speaker. Almost all Republicans in the lower chamber of Congress voted for him.

According to the NYT, Johnson received the 218 necessary votes from congressmen to become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democratic minority in the House, garnered 215 votes.

Johnson was able to secure this number of votes thanks to congressmen Ralph Norman and Keith Self, who decided to support his candidacy after initially voting for other candidates.

The date for the next "Ramstein" meeting has been announced

A new meeting on Ukraine's defense in the "Ramstein" format will take place next week. The meeting is scheduled for January 9.

The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, will preside over the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense.

The meeting will be held in person. This will be the 25th meeting of the Contact Group.

Participants in the "Ramstein" format will focus on how to ensure practical and coordinated steps to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities now and in the future.

Ukraine is developing the "Trembita" cruise missile

The Telegraph reported that the Ukrainian missile "Trembita" "could become the biggest symbol of Ukraine's desire for autonomy in firepower." Currently, production of an improved version capable of reaching Moscow is underway.

Aviation expert Valeriy Romanenko noted that it is possible that the "Trembita" missile will be used to strike Russian targets as early as this year, although it still requires further development.

For more details on what is known about the "Trembita" missile and its development stage, see the article from RBK-Ukraine.

Zelensky announced meetings and negotiations to strengthen air defense

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian representatives will soon hold a series of meetings with foreign partners. This is necessary to strengthen the country's air defense.

Zelensky emphasized that just in the first three days of the new year, the Russian army used over 300 strike drones and about 20 missiles, including ballistic ones, against Ukrainian cities and villages.

He reminded that Ukraine needs to constantly replenish its missile stock for air defense and also to enhance the capabilities of mobile fire groups.

"I am grateful to all partners who are assisting. We are preparing for meetings and negotiations next week to bolster our air defense. The schedule for this work has already been tentatively agreed upon," the president stated.

The U.S. will announce new military aid to Ukraine in the coming days

The United States plans to announce new military aid to Ukraine. This will happen in the coming days, as reported by John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the U.S. National Security Council.

He did not specify the date when the new military aid package to Ukraine will be announced, nor what specific weapons Ukrainian defenders will receive.