The President of Ukraine and the President of the European Commission signed a document that marked the first step toward the Drone Deal.

This was reported on the website of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which the leaders signed a document marking the first step toward the Drone Deal.

“Today marks the signing of the first document forming the basis of the Drone Deal—a major defense agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. This is truly a historic step in our relations,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to the President, Ukraine and the European Union are deepening their cooperation in the defense industry by integrating production capabilities and developing joint projects.

Ukraine is also counting on financial support from the EU to implement its own anti-ballistic missile program.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union will allocate an additional 1 billion euros for the production of Ukrainian drones.

The funds will be allocated as part of a 90 billion euro European financial support package, of which 4 billion euros had previously been earmarked for the development of Ukrainian drones.

“Not only are we developing a new generation of drone systems together, but we will also produce them faster than ever before so that Ukraine receives everything it needs now, and Europe has all the capabilities it will need tomorrow,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

During the talks, the parties also discussed Ukraine’s further integration into the European Union, the opening of new negotiation clusters, the need to adopt the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia as soon as possible, and preparations for the fall and winter, particularly support for Ukraine’s energy sector.