During the war, Ukraine has established mass production of cheap but effective combat drones. The US wants to acquire these technologies for royalties and other forms of compensation, DW reports.
A Ukrainian delegation is in Washington to finalize an agreement with the administration of US President Donald Trump, under which Kyiv will share drone technology tested in combat conditions with the United States in exchange for royalties or other forms of compensation. This was reported by the online edition of The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, October 2, citing unnamed officials from both sides.
According to the publication, the deal is supported by both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and it is expected to be an important milestone for cooperation between the two countries in the field of security.
According to WSJ, multi-day negotiations in Washington involving the Pentagon and the State Department began on September 30. The Ukrainian delegation is led by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the country, Serhiy Boev. According to an American source cited by journalists, finalizing the deal, which could be worth several billion dollars, may take several months.
Mass Production of Cheap but Effective Drones by Ukraine
The article states that drones produced by American companies rely on complex technologies. In turn, Ukraine has excelled in the mass production of cheap UAVs that have proven effective in combat. "As the war in Ukraine has changed the approach to warfare, governments, investors, and companies in Europe are already rushing to profit from Ukrainian drone technologies," the authors note.
According to WSJ sources, several options for technology transfer are being considered as part of the Ukraine-US deal. These include Ukrainian companies providing American technologies and UAV prototypes in exchange for royalties; an agreement under which a Ukrainian company establishes a subsidiary in the US to produce drones; or the direct purchase of drones for the US armed forces from Ukraine.
According to WSJ, there are currently about 300 drone manufacturing companies in Ukraine. In 2024, more than 2 million UAVs are expected to be produced in the country, the publication states.
What Weapons Ukraine Wants to Purchase from the US
At the same time, the deal has political significance for Kyiv, which seeks to strengthen ties with Trump, whose support for Ukraine has sometimes been "unstable," WSJ writes. On September 27, Zelensky stated that the drone agreement would be part of a separate package, under which Kyiv hopes to conclude a "mega deal" with Washington to purchase weapons worth tens of billions of dollars from the US.
The Ukrainian president mentioned the same in an interview with The New York Post in July of this year.
Ukraine hopes that this will include long-range missiles, WSJ reminds. For its part, one of the publication's sources in the US clarified that Ukraine would like to acquire Patriot air defense systems, HIMARS launchers that fire GMLRS rockets, ATACMS missile systems, and multi-role fighter jets.
