European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement in Kyiv on Wednesday to jointly boost drone production, a technology that has reshaped modern warfare. The deal aims to merge the European Union's industrial base with Ukraine's battle-tested expertise, gained over more than four years of conflict with Russian forces.
Strategic Partnership for Drone Manufacturing
Drones have been critical for Ukraine in offsetting manpower shortages and conducting long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries, contributing to a fuel crisis. Zelenskyy, speaking at a ceremony for Ukraine's Statehood Day in Saint Michael’s Square, stated: "We are making 10 million drones a year – 10 million. And it will be 20 million. For the first time, Ukraine has fundamentally changed the battlefield."
Funding for the partnership will come from two EU sources: the €90 billion support loan to Ukraine and the roughly €10 billion remaining in the SAFE defense program. The agreement broadens previous bilateral deals between individual EU member states and Ukraine, making the partnership available to all 27 EU countries.
Von der Leyen emphasized the complementary strengths: "In Europe, we already have huge technological and industrial capacity that can be deployed. And we have safe and secure production sites that can help to scale up. But we do not have that battle-tested knowledge and expertise that Ukraine has forged. So the point I am making is that we need to combine our strengths. Together, we can work on joint production."
A key innovation is the option to manufacture and store drones across EU territory rather than in Ukraine, protecting them from Russian strikes. However, storage will be short-term due to rapid technological evolution; after two to three months, drones will be transferred to Ukraine or to member states on the EU's Eastern flank seeking to reinforce their capabilities.
Moscow's reaction to the plan remains uncertain, especially given its increasingly provocative actions against EU countries. As a next step, the European Commission intends to expand the deal to include ballistic and anti-ballistic missile systems, though this is a longer-term goal.
This agreement builds on earlier EU efforts to support Ukraine, including Von der Leyen in Kyiv: EU-Ukraine Drone Pact and Accession Talks Advance and Von der Leyen Declares 'Tide Turning' for Ukraine During Kyiv Visit. The UK has also joined the EU's €90 billion loan for Ukraine, as reported in UK Joins EU's €90 Billion Loan for Ukraine, Commits to Fair Contribution.
