EU and Ukraine Sign Agreement on Joint Drone Production

Funding from the EU Aid Package

Von der Leyen justified the initiative with reference to the wars in Ukraine and Iran. "The events here and in other parts of the world have shown us how important it is for our security to be able to provide combat-tested drone systems quickly and in large numbers," she said. The aim of the drone deal is to provide the necessary impetus to decisively increase investment and production.

She also said: "Wir werden die Drohnen schneller herstellen als je zuvor", "damit die Ukraine jetzt das erhält, was sie dringend benöticht." Ukrainian President Zelensky, turning directly to the European Commission President, expressed his thanks: "Ich bin dankbar für Deine Unterstützung, Ursula," and as he looked at her, it was clear how seriously he meant it.

Award and Shared Symbolism

At the end of the meeting, von der Leyen was honored by Zelensky with the "Order of Europe." Zelensky formulated the shared goal looking to the future: "Und ein Europa ohne russische Bedrohung." At the same time, he made clear: "Unser wichtigstes Ziel ist nicht ein Russland ohne Öl, sondern eine Ukraine ohne Krieg."

Background: Attacks in the Black Sea

The backdrop to the drone deal is the tense security situation in the Black Sea region. According to Ukraine's drone forces commander Robert Browdi, a total of 116 ships were attacked in the Sea of Azov. "Die ersten 20 Tanker im Schwarzen Meer wurden in der Nacht zum 15. Juli erledigt," Browdi wrote in his Telegram channel. With that, "die erste Runde des Seekriegs beendet," according to Browdi.

The Russian military, for its part, spoke of a combined strike with "luftbasierten Hochpräzisionswaffen und Kampfdrohnen" in the Odessa area against reservoirs and facilities for shipping fuel for the Ukrainian military. According to Ukrainian information, the drones hit 17 oil tankers, 2 gas tankers, and 1 tugboat.

Von der Leyen sees the agreement as a turning point: "Das Blatt hat sich gewendet," she said with regard to the impact of the European sanctions against Russia. These "hinterlassen tiefe Spuren in der russischen Wirtschaft," the Commission President added. She was certain that a compromise on drone financing would be reached "schon in Kürze."

Outlook on Further Cooperation

Meanwhile, a legislative initiative is being advanced in the USA that targets the largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas. According to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, the measure, supported by Republicans and Democrats, provides for tariffs of up to 100 percent. Zelensky had most recently appealed for more support for air defense at the NATO summit in Ankara and at a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" in France.

The Ukrainian government emphasizes that the production cooperation also strengthens Europe itself. "Und Europa baut damit Kapazitäten auf, die es möglicherweise in der Zukunft braucht," according to delegation circles. Von der Leyen formulated it as a political maxim: It is of central importance that the European Union "einen Tag später müde wird als Russland."

With Wednesday's signing, the agreement is politically sealed. The operational implementation — that is, specific production sites, supply chains, and timelines — is to be negotiated between Brussels and Kyiv in the coming weeks. Both sides signaled a willingness to expand cooperation beyond drone production to other defense sectors as well.