US and Ukraine sign statement of intent on drone cooperation

The United States and Ukraine have signed a bilateral statement of intent establishing the framework for a defense partnership focused on drone cooperation, according to Ukrainska Pravda and the Ukrainian National News agency, marking the first agreement of its kind between the two countries.pravda+1

The deal, formally signed by both Washington and Kyiv, lays the groundwork for the export of Ukrainian unmanned systems to the United States for military testing and evaluation. Ukraine is already transferring aerial and maritime drones to the US, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming earlier this month that testing was underway and that Washington had provided "very positive feedback."defensenews

From Draft to Signature

The agreement follows months of negotiations. In May, CBS News first reported that the US State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna had drafted a memorandum outlining terms for a defense agreement centered on drone technology. The Financial Times subsequently obtained the draft statement of intent, which set out plans for the temporary export of Ukrainian unmanned systems for land, sea, and air operations to support US test and evaluation activities.cbsnews+3

As recently as late May, Zelenskyy acknowledged that a bilateral framework agreement had not yet been signed, noting that Donald Trump's consent was required to finalize the document. During a meeting with Zelenskyy in early July, Trump stated publicly, "We would buy their drones. They have an ability to make a lot of them. Which is amazing that in a war situation they make them."unn+1

A Stepping Stone to a Broader Deal

The statement of intent is not the broader "Drone Deal" that Zelenskyy has valued at $35 billion to $50 billion, which would establish 50-50 production ventures drawing on up to 200 Ukrainian companies. That larger agreement remains under negotiation. In a July 10 interview with Military Times, Zelenskyy described the current testing phase as a prerequisite: "After this, we will move to another, next stage, to the drone deal."defensenews

The agreement comes as Ukraine has rapidly expanded its drone cooperation network internationally. Earlier this month, Ukraine signed drone deals with Estonia, the Netherlands, and Denmark on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and concluded a separate drone deal with the European Union on July 15. US lawmakers also introduced the Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act in late June to formalize a five-year drone technology partnership between the two countries.reuters+3