Drone Deal: Ukraine aims to sign drone agreements with seven NATO countries by end of 2026

Ukraine hopes to sign major defence agreements with at least seven NATO member states by the end of the year, says Davyd Aloian, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.

Source: The Guardian, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to The Guardian, the initiative reflects a new dimension of Kyiv's foreign policy, aimed at demonstrating that Ukraine can act not only as a recipient of military assistance but also as a supplier of defence technology and battlefield expertise.

The Guardian notes that, in recent months, Kyiv has signed so-called drone deals with six countries. Three of them are Middle Eastern states that turned to Ukraine after becoming targets of Iranian-made Shahed drones. Azerbaijan has also signed such an agreement, along with NATO members Latvia and Lithuania.

"The initiative is called the drone deal, but it actually covers way more than just drones … what's even more important is the experience and knowledge, the access to all the components that form the system here in Ukraine," Aloian said.

He explained that after Iranian drone attacks, one Middle Eastern country purchased interceptor systems from a Western company that had developed the product in cooperation with Ukrainian manufacturers. Once the systems had been delivered, Kyiv repeatedly received requests for advice on how to use them most effectively.

As a result, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have all signed agreements with Ukraine. Kyiv has offered the three Gulf states comprehensive assessments of the operational and tactical requirements needed to ensure the effective use of such systems.

The agreements do not currently include the export of Ukrainian-made drones, as Ukraine's defence industry remains under strict state control and is focused primarily on meeting the country's own military needs.

According to diplomats and analysts cited by The Guardian, Ukraine's emerging "drone diplomacy" has also been an effort to cultivate new partners and ensure that the country remains on the international agenda at a time when global attention has increasingly shifted towards the Middle East.

In addition, as the world's most experienced country in defending against drone attacks and in using drones to strike targets inside Russia, Ukraine believes it has valuable expertise to offer.

Aloian said the initiative will now focus primarily on NATO partners, particularly those located closer to Russia or Ukraine that are increasingly having to strengthen their defences against drone threats.

Background:

• During his visit to Dublin, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had proposed a Drone Deal to Ireland.
• On 29 June, Zelenskyy also discussed the Drone Deal initiative with Denmark's defence minister.
• On 9 June, Ukraine and Latvia signed a Drone Deal agreement during a meeting between Zelenskyy and Latvia's new Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.

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