EU and Ukraine agree on new defense partnership. Will produce drones and anti-ballistic missiles

The EU and Ukraine have signed a new defense partnership agreement. The partners agreed to establish joint production of drones by the end of 2026 and anti-ballistic missiles by 2028.

The European Commission reported this on its website.

By the end of 2026, Ukraine and EU countries plan to launch joint production of drones and anti-drone systems. This should help to more quickly implement battlefield-proven technologies and increase investment in the defense industry.

Europe will provide its production capacity and technology, and Ukraine will provide combat experience in the use of drones. The European Commission said that this will help to develop a new generation of drones more quickly.

The first group of “Drone Deal” participants includes nine Ukrainian companies: “Skyfall Industries”, “Grintech Harvest”, “TenCore”, “DeViRo”, “Vyriy Industry”, “Athlon Avia”, “TAF Industries”, UFORCE, and “F-Drones”. The first production meeting will take place in September in Brussels.

The next step should be the joint production of anti-ballistic missiles by 2028, as well as the development of the production of artillery and other important weapons.

In addition, the European Commission has allocated another €1 billion to Ukraine for the purchase of drones under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The European Commission has also approved a plan that provides for another €10 billion for the purchase of drones, missiles and fighter jets in the future.

• In the afternoon, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported that Ukraine will join the European Defense Fund (EDF) and European Defense Industry Programme (EDIP) programs. Thanks to this, Ukrainian defense companies will be able to participate in joint projects with European ones and receive grants.

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