SEVASTOPOL, July 30 - Defense Minister Dmytro Salamatin says he’s "most optimistic” about the construction of Ukrainian corvettes.

"Ukraine is able to build ships and it will build high-complexity ships for many years. I'm declaring this with full responsibility," he told reporters during the celebration of the Navy Day in Sevastopol on Sunday.

When asked to comment on the prospects for the construction of a modern Ukrainian corvette, Salamatin said: "The future is the most optimistic. We are continuing construction work. If you compare what was reported at the beginning of the year and what is reported now, the progress is completely obvious. We've done a great deal of work on the replacement of imported components of the corvette with domestic products. Thus, we will preserve and increase the number of jobs. And the future is the most optimistic."