ALBAWABA – Ukraine and the United States are close to signing a deal worth billions of dollars to share drone technology. This is being called a historic change in how the two countries work together on defense.
The Wall Street Journal says that a Ukrainian delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boyev is coming to Washington this week to work out the details of the deal. The deal would let the U.S. use Ukraine's combat-tested designs in exchange for royalties or cash.
This deal is different from past U.S. military aid packages because it focuses on Ukraine's own drone technology. In the last year, Kyiv made more than two million drones, which were often 20–30% cheaper than similar drones made in the West. They also came up with new ways to make drones on a large scale and new ways to fight on the battlefield. These cheap but powerful systems have been key to fighting Russia's bigger and better-equipped armies.
American defense companies think that Ukrainian know-how is very important. The deal would also give Washington access to combat data and tactics that were improved during the war—information that officials say isn't available on the open market. One of the terms is to make the drones less dependent on Chinese parts so that they can be used by the U.S. military.
The deal strengthens Kyiv's ties with the Trump administration at a time when U.S. support is uncertain. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the deal is part of a larger package that includes long-range missiles and other high-tech weapons.
The deal would guarantee that Ukraine would keep getting military and political support. For the U.S., it means access to cheap designs, lessons learned from the battlefield, and the chance to use Ukrainian technology in American factories.
Ukrainian businesses are already moving into Europe, with partnerships in the UK and Germany. More than 300 companies in Ukraine could be ready to work together and enter the US market. Analysts say that Ukraine has a strategic advantage over any Western country right now because it can mass-produce cheap drones.
The deal that is about to be signed shows how Ukraine's wartime innovations have become a commodity in the global defense industry. Drones have gone from being a necessity on the battlefield to a strategic asset for Western militaries.
