Ukraine and USA Draft Memorandum on New Defense Agreement

The governments of the USA and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a potential new defense agreement between the two countries.

This was reported by CBS News, citing three sources.

The document, developed by the US State Department in collaboration with Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna, marks the first step toward concluding an agreement that could allow Ukraine to export military technology to the US and establish drone production through joint ventures with American companies.

According to CBS News, the Ukrainian side first proposed cooperation in the field of drone technology to the White House back in August 2025. This occurred after US President Donald Trump, during a private conversation, spoke positively about Operation “Spiderweb” — an attack by Ukrainian drones on Russian strategic aviation.

Ukrainian officials emphasize that cooperation in the field of drones will be mutually beneficial, as US funding will allow both countries to increase their defense production.

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine forecasts that defense production could reach $55 billion in 2026.

At the same time, Kyiv needs significant foreign funding to realize this potential. According to Yuriy Sak, an advisor to the Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ukraine currently has resources to purchase only about $15 billion worth of weapons this year.

Some Ukrainian companies have already entered the US market. In particular, in March, General Chereshnya, one of Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers, signed an agreement with the American company Wilcox Industries for the joint production of drones in the United States.

In addition, the Pentagon has invited Ukrainian companies to join the $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program, which aims to identify and procure drones for the needs of the US armed forces.

However, a broader defense agreement that could ensure a larger-scale implementation of Ukrainian technologies in the US is currently facing political difficulties.

According to Ukrainian officials, they feel a “lack of support” for the drone agreement from certain high-ranking officials in the US Department of Defense and the White House, especially after the start of the war in Iran. Donald Trump has also publicly criticized Ukraine’s attempts to promote anti-drone technologies in the Middle East.

Ukraine’s own defense needs also pose additional challenges.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv is ready to ease restrictions on the export of military products only on the condition of receiving guarantees for the protection of Ukrainian companies’ intellectual property and confidence that Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to continue meeting the state’s defense needs amid ongoing Russian aggression.

However, a memorandum on cooperation in the field of drones prepared by Kyiv and Washington indicates that the parties have likely already begun to overcome some of these obstacles.

It was recently reported that Ukraine expects to receive new, promising, and cheaper anti-drone missiles from the American corporation RTX, the manufacturer of missiles for the Patriot system.