According to CNBC, Ukrainian officials, drone executives and national security experts are preparing for a difficult winter as they fear a Russian assault on energy infrastructure could become the toughest challenge of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed the need to keep the country's energy and infrastructure facilities fully operational and protected before the next heating season, while Russia has increased missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. Iryna Terekh, CEO of Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point, said Ukraine must be realistic about the threat given its shortage of air defense systems and said its effort to build antimissile technology in a few years cannot be completed in time for the winter. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with the Financial Times on July 30 that he had not yet decided whether to let Ukraine produce Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles, and Zelenskyy said air defense missiles remain a key priority.