A billion euros for drones and a candidate for a new prime minister. Key points from the press conference of Zelensky and Ursula von der Leyen

President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reported a billion euros for drones and spoke about the candidate for the new Prime Minister of Ukraine during a joint press conference.

During a press conference, the President of Ukraine called “Naftogaz” Chairman of the Board Serhiy Koretsky the "most prepared" candidate for the position of Prime Minister.

During the conversation, Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union is allocating another €1 billion to Ukraine for the purchase of drones as part of the Loan in Support of Ukraine for 2026-2027. Separately, the European Commission also reported that the EU and Ukraine have signed an agreement on a new defense partnership.

The partners agreed to establish joint production of anti-ballistic missiles by 2028, as well as to jointly produce artillery and other weapons. The European Commission also approved a €10 billion payment plan to finance additional drones, missiles and fighter jets.

Other highlights from the press conference:

• Zelensky reported new personnel changes in a number of Ukrainian embassies. According to the president, the changes will not only affect the embassy in the US, but the final version of the changes has not yet been finalized.
• The third cluster that will be opened for Ukraine within the framework of the EU accession negotiations will be cluster 2 (internal market). All subsequent ones, according to von der Leyen, will be opened "as soon as possible".
• Zelensky also said that Ukraine could begin producing “Patriot” and “Aster-30” missiles for SAMP/T and “Hammer” anti-tank guided missiles by the end of this year.

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