Ukraine and the US are preparing an agreement on the joint production of drones
The governments of Ukraine and the US have drawn up a draft memorandum setting out the terms of a potential new defence agreement between the two countries. This was reported by three sources familiar with the negotiations, according to CBS News.
The document, drafted by the US State Department and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna, is intended to be the first step towards an agreement that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the US and manufacture drones through joint ventures with American companies.
During the war in Iran, Ukraine utilised expertise developed over more than four years of full-scale war with Russia. Kyiv has sent drone operators and interceptor drones to the Middle East to help US allies counter Shahed-type drones, which Russia is using to attack Ukrainian cities.
Over the past two months, Ukraine has already concluded defence agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian officials say that other agreements are in the pipeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that “almost 20 countries are currently at various stages of cooperation”. According to him, four agreements have already been signed, and the first contracts under these agreements are being prepared.
The Ukrainian side first presented the idea of cooperation in the field of drones to the White House in August 2025, after US President Donald Trump had praised Operation Spiderweb. During the operation, Ukrainian operators remotely controlled explosive drones, which were delivered to Russian territory in lorries, and struck Russian military aircraft.
Addressing gaps in budgets and production capacity
Ukrainian officials told CBS News that cooperation in the drone sector would be mutually beneficial, as US funding would enable both countries to ramp up defence production.
According to forecasts by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, the defence industry’s production capacity could reach $55 billion by 2026. At the same time, according to Yuriy Saka, an adviser to the Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ukraine currently has funding for weapons procurement amounting to only around $15 billion.
Ukrainian companies also manufacture systems that the US previously paid less attention to. One manufacturer plans to produce over three million FPV drones in 2026. By comparison, the US produced 300,000 such drones in 2025.
Some Ukrainian companies are already operating in the American market. In March, General Cherry signed an agreement with the American company Wilcox Industries to manufacture drones in the US.
The Pentagon has also invited Ukrainian companies to participate in the $1.1 billion Drone Dominance programme, aimed at sourcing drones for US Army contracts.
From ‘lack of support’ to ‘positive news for Ukraine’
At the same time, negotiations on a broader defence agreement have encountered political difficulties. Ukrainian officials told CBS News that they felt a “lack of support” from certain representatives of the US Department of Defence and the White House, particularly following the outbreak of war in Iran.
In March, Donald Trump publicly rejected Ukraine’s proposals to supply anti-drone technology to the Middle East.
“We don’t need their help with drone defence. We know more about drones than anyone else. We have the best drones in the world,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously stated that the government would ease restrictions on the export of military products only after guarantees were provided regarding the protection of Ukrainian companies’ intellectual property and the fulfilment of Ukraine’s defence needs.
At the same time, the draft memorandum indicates that negotiations may be progressing.
“Apart from the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe, we will soon launch new security cooperation under Drone Deals with yet another part of the world. We are preparing good news for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
