The European Union (EU) and Ukraine have signed a new cooperation agreement focused on the production and supply of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This strategic move aims to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities amidst the ongoing conflict.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal during her visit to Kyiv. Von der Leyen stated that the agreement establishes a new partnership in the defense industry, specifically targeting the manufacturing and supply chains of drones. She emphasized that Europe's industrial capacity is sufficient to significantly increase the production volume of UAVs and that this cooperation will be further expanded in the coming period.
While Ukraine has previously signed bilateral agreements with individual European nations regarding drone production, this new accord elevates the collaboration to the level of the European Union. This development aligns with Kyiv's broader defense strategy; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously stated that the country aims to produce millions of drones annually, with plans to increase production capacity to 20 million units in the near future to meet battlefield demands.
