Zelenskyy reveals the essence of Drone Deal - at least 10 arms export contracts expected
Kyiv • UNN
Zelenskyy announced a Drone Deal to protect infrastructure and export weapons. Agreements have already been reached with three countries, and 11 more states have expressed their interest.
Ukraine offers partner countries a Drone Deal, which includes a unique defense system consisting, in particular, of drones to repel massive attacks, air defense systems, and electronic warfare systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an interview on the telethon, UNN writes.
What is the Drone Deal?
"The Drone Deal includes a unique defense system, which consists, in particular, of drones to repel massive attacks, air defense systems, and electronic warfare systems," Zelenskyy said, as quoted by the Presidential Office.
The Drone Deal is a long-term cooperation program between Ukraine and a given country, aimed at expertise and assistance in protecting against massive attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, the President noted.
With which countries are there agreements?
"We have already agreed on 10-year contracts with three key countries: Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Qatar. We already have requests from 11 countries: the Middle East and the Gulf, plus we are slowly looking at the Caucasus," the President said.
According to Zelenskyy, the Drone Deal will include "at least 10 different contracts for the export of Ukrainian weapons."
"Co-production is also envisaged – the construction of production lines both in Ukraine and in other states, joint development of new technologies, an agreement on annual financing of the corresponding volume, and a specific number of years of such cooperation," the Presidential Office reported.
Cooperation with European partners
"Second: these are my steps and then the steps of the entire team – this is the European part. And Europe is our beginning of work with Germany, Norway, Italy, in principle, with Nordic countries – with Norway, Sweden – and the Netherlands. This is what we already see and understand. Of course, we have good relations with Britain and France. I am sure that all this will also happen there," Zelenskyy said.
What Ukraine will receive
The President emphasized that such cooperation is mutually beneficial. For example, key agreements with the leaders of the Middle Eastern and Gulf countries concern missiles for "Patriots" and assistance to Ukraine's energy resilience.
"With Norway, we are talking about gas. With Romania, we will complete the relevant infrastructure – also gas and electricity. And our Middle Eastern partners – they can completely cover the issue of oil deficit," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Security partnership
The President also spoke about the G2G (government to government) security partnership, which is the first framework agreement on the basis of which companies enter the country and conduct negotiations.
According to the Head of State, companies are chosen by the customer and the private sector. Currently, there are 200 very strong defense companies in Ukraine, 30 of which are world-class. Zelenskyy noted that agreements at the state level allow for filling the Ukrainian budget. In return, our country guarantees partners that their specialists will be trained and weapons will work effectively. According to him, after agreements with leaders on security partnership, companies enter their country, and Ukraine receives taxes depending on the amount of the agreement.
"Because today it's a brand – made in Ukraine. And expensive. I emphasize many times to representatives of the private sector: do not forget, the price of this product is not only money, technology, but also the lives of people who used your product," the President noted.
The Head of State emphasized that he is open to the formula: first, everything must be exported to the front, and after that – to any of the partner countries. At the same time, priority should be given to countries that are the largest donors, and countries that constantly help Ukraine during the war financially, defensively, and politically.
Zelenskyy emphasized: much has been achieved with naval drones not only thanks to the Ukrainian defense industry, but also with the help of partners. Great Britain, Norway, and the Netherlands, as countries that historically have extensive experience in developing their naval fleet, helped Ukraine with some technologies.
"That is, when we talk about partnership relations and our exports, we must also be grateful and not forget who gave you such an impetus. Today we are investing 30 billion in Ukrainian defense. For 2026, this is the task, 30 billion dollars. Today our "defense industry" says: we are already ready to produce volumes for 60. Imagine what has happened to the Ukrainian defense sector, with our defense industry as a whole. 30 billion – all this money we are bringing in from partners today. And these years have given such a leap," Zelenskyy emphasized.