Ukrainians train with handheld drones. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
MILAN — The European Union and Ukraine have signed a drone deal to merge Ukrainian expertise in unmanned warfare with the continent’s industrial capacity, with the goal of ramping up production of drone and counter-drone systems.
“Together we can work on joint production, on making all of the components of the systems work, and provide both defense industrial bases with the impetus needed to step up investments and production,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said when announcing the agreement on Wednesday. Von der Leyen was in Kyiv to mark the war-torn country’s Statehood Day.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the country is currently producing 10 million drones per year and envisions this number rising to 20 million annually with the help of partners.
Under the drone deal, joint ventures will be established between selected Ukrainian and European defense companies to fast-track the development and manufacturing of unmanned technologies. An initial meeting is scheduled to take place in Brussels between the “19 founding members,” according to an EU press release.
