EU and Ukraine conclude first drone agreement of its kind

On the European side, the agreement provides for the expansion of production capacities. "Europa verfüge seinerseits über große technologische sowie industrielle Kapazitäten und habe sichere und geschützte Produktionsstandorte," stressed von der Leyen. In a separate statement, she formulated that Europe has "über enorme technologische und industrielle Kapazitäten" and has "sichere und geschützte Produktionsstandorte, die zur Ausweitung der Fertigung beitragen könnten".

Industrial capacities of Europe

The Commission President justified the urgency of the cooperation with reference to the wars in Ukraine and Iran: "Die Ereignisse hier und in anderen Teilen der Welt haben uns gezeigt, wie wichtig es für unsere Sicherheit ist, einsatzerprobte Drohnensysteme schnell und in großer Stückzahl bereitstellen zu können," she said. The agreement is intended to pool the strengths of both sides: "Wir müssen unsere Stärken bündeln," von der Leyen said verbatim.

Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv

According to the EU Commission, the trip to Kyiv also served the fifth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit. Among those participating are heads of state and government from Romania, Albania, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova, and Croatia. According to Brussels, the summit also includes talks on Ukraine's EU accession process and preparations for the coming winter.

The drone partnership is part of the EU's existing military aid to Ukraine. European arms companies such as Rheinmetall and HENSOLDT are already active in supplying ammunition, artillery, and air defense to Kyiv. With the new agreement, industrial cooperation is now to be extended to unmanned systems as well. The specific investment volumes and production sites were not quantified at the time of the announcement.

Embedding in existing military aid

With the agreement, Brussels is responding to a changed security situation in Europe. Drone defense and the build-up of its own production capacities are regarded in Brussels as key lessons from the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than four years. Von der Leyen spoke of a partnership in which Ukrainian practical experience and European industrial capacities are to come together in order to strengthen the EU's defense capabilities.

The report was broadcast on 15.07.2026 on Deutschlandfunk. The report was transmitted by the news agency dpa-AFX from Kyiv. No information on concrete contract documents or signing ceremonies was available at the time of publication.