How drones are changing modern warfare 04:02
KYIV — The governments of the United States and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a possible new defense agreement between the two countries, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The draft, discussed by the State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna, is the first step toward a defense agreement that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the United States and jointly produce drones with American companies.
During the war with Iran, Ukraine capitalized on innovations developed by the country’s military and defense contractors during more than four years of brutal conflict with Russia. Kyiv has sent drone interceptors and pilots to the Middle East to help U.S. allies defend against the same type of Iranian-designed Shahd drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian towns.
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Over the past two months, Ukraine has signed defense deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and Ukrainian officials say more are in the pipeline.
On February 22, 2026, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine, a Ukrainian soldier held a Sting interceptor drone for a test flight. / Photo credit: Alex Nikitenko/Global Pictures of Ukraine/Getty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram: “Almost 20 countries are currently at different stages: 4 agreements have been signed and the first contracts under these agreements are being prepared.”
Ukrainian officials first raised the idea of drone cooperation to the White House in August 2025 after President Trump privately praised Operation Spiderweb, an audacious Ukrainian drone strike deep into Russian defenses. In the operation, Ukrainian pilots remotely guided explosive drones – deployed from humble trucks smuggled into Russia – to destroy dozens of Russian warplanes parked on tarmac across the country.
Fill gaps in budget and production capabilities
Ukrainian officials told CBS News that drone cooperation with the United States would be mutually beneficial, as U.S. financing would help both countries expand defense production.
Ukraine’s National Security Council expects defense production capacity to reach $55 billion by 2026. Yuri Sak, an adviser to the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, said that in order to achieve this capability, Ukraine will need more external financing, because Kyiv currently only has the funds to purchase weapons worth about $15 billion.
Ukraine has also excelled in manufacturing weapons systems that the United States had not previously prioritized. A Ukrainian manufacturer plans to produce more than 3 million low-cost first-person view military drones by 2026. By comparison, the United States will produce only 300,000 aircraft by 2025.
Ukrainian companies are also developing innovative electronic warfare methods and hardware. Ukrainian defense company Sine Engineering, which pioneered technology that allows drones to fly without GPS guidance to avoid signal interference, recently received a multimillion-dollar investment from the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
Several Ukrainian companies have already brought their technology to the United States. In March, General Cherry, one of Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers, signed an agreement with US military manufacturer Wilcox Industries to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the United States.
The Pentagon also invites Ukrainian companies to participate in its Drone-led initiativea $1.1 billion project to identify drones for U.S. military contracts.
But a broader defense deal that could bring more Ukrainian technology to the United States faces political obstacles.
From “lack of support” to “positive news for Ukraine”?
Ukrainian officials told CBS News they felt a “lack of support” for the drone deal from senior Department of Defense and White House officials, especially since the war with Iran began. President Trump has publicly rejected Ukraine’s efforts to provide counter-drone technology to the Middle East.
“We don’t need their help with drone defense,” Mr. Trump told Fox News in early March. “We know drones better than anyone. In fact, we have the best drones in the world.”
Ukraine’s wartime necessities presented their own challenges.
Zelensky said the government would ease broad military export restrictions only after Kyiv is sure that Ukrainian companies’ intellectual property is protected and they can still provide adequate supplies for Ukraine’s defense amid ongoing Russian incursions.
But a memorandum drafted by Kyiv and Washington on an early drone deal appears to suggest those barriers may be disappearing.
“In addition to the Middle East and the Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe, we will soon launch this new security cooperation with other regions of the world within the framework of the drone trade,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post this week. “We are preparing good news for Ukraine.”