Zelensky: Ukraine and U.S. Still Haven’t Signed Drone Deal, Trump Approval Needed

Ukraine has still not signed a framework agreement with the United States on cooperation in unmanned technologies (the Drone Deal), even though the parties have already discussed the possibilities of such cooperation.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, announced this.

According to the head of state, the American side showed interest in Ukrainian drone systems and wanted to test all types of drones that Ukraine uses on the battlefield.

“The U.S. wanted to test all types of our drones. We agreed on how they wanted to test, use for training, and operate our systems in the air, on land, and at sea. But we still do not have a bilateral Drone Deal – a major framework document,” Zelensky said.

The President emphasized that Ukraine already has similar agreements with certain countries in Europe and the Middle East. In addition, Kyiv is working on establishing a large-scale Drone Deal with the European Union.

According to Zelenskyy, cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. in the field of drones could become one of the most powerful in the world.

He noted that American companies have advanced artificial intelligence technologies, while Ukraine has extensive practical experience using drones in combat.

As part of preparations for the bilateral agreement, in February 2026, U.S. partners were shown and tested several Ukrainian drones.

At that time, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that cooperation with the United States on drones is ongoing, and the two sides had agreed to continue moving forward.

The Drone Deal would cover the potential purchase of Ukrainian drones over the next five years and includes the possibility of jointly producing several Ukrainian models.

In October 2025, a Ukrainian delegation held technical talks in the United States regarding this cooperation. Ukraine presented its developments on specific drone models, their effectiveness, and operational conditions.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine team met with representatives from all branches of the U.S. military to discuss the American army’s needs for Ukrainian drones.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense signed an agreement on defense cooperation.