EU and Ukraine Sign Agreement on Joint Drone Production

The European Union and Ukraine have signed an agreement on the joint production of drones. The goal is to combine Ukraine's expertise in developing drones and counter-drone systems with European manufacturing capabilities, create joint projects and increase the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the signing of the agreement in Kyiv on the occasion of Ukraine's Statehood Day, said that Europe and Ukraine must combine their strengths.

Ukraine has already concluded similar agreements with several individual countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed three more last week at the NATO summit in Ankara, bringing the total to nine. The new agreement, however, is the first to include countries and companies from across the European Union.

Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has built a highly developed drone industry, despite having had only limited experience in this field before the war.

(Reuters, bak)