A new step towards a European defense involving Ukraine, in the context of a reduction of US involvement in NATO? It could be. On February 24, during their visit to Kyiv, the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen were taken to one of the drone factories in the capital. On that occasion, they were pleasantly impressed by the progress Ukraine has made in producing the most used weapon in the conflict with Russia.
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The agreement between the EU and Ukraine
Five months later, on July 15, von der Leyen returned to Kyiv. Here she signed with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a so-called “Ukraine Drone Deal,” an industrial synergy agreement for drone production. In fact, the European defense industry is relying on the experience Ukraine has gained over the years of war against Russia. The agreement will accelerate the development and production of next-generation drones and anti-drone systems, providing Ukraine with the necessary capabilities while simultaneously strengthening the readiness of European defense for the future.
Countering drones and missiles
The goal of the agreement is to rapidly increase the production and deployment of combat-proven capabilities to counter drones and missiles, while ensuring the long-term predictability needed to strengthen investments and expand the defense industrial capacity both in Ukraine and in the European Union. The cooperation aims to offer protection against short- and medium-range drones and missiles, deploy combat-proven drone systems on a large scale – which can be stored outside Ukrainian territory – and provide both defense industrial bases with the predictability necessary to decisively enhance investments and production.
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The European Commission has also announced Ukraine’s entry into the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).
The precedent of the European coalition for a missile shield
The agreement follows the European Coalition for a missile shield established on Monday, July 13 in Paris, on the sidelines of the Voluntary Summit. According to the Financial Times, Kyiv obtained from the Commission a waiver for part of the 6 billion euro tranche of the 90 billion loan granted by Brussels to purchase drone components from China.
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