Kyiv plans to sell drones worth billions of dollars

Negotiations on Drones

The US and Ukraine are close to reaching an agreement on the purchase of drones, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. This project, considered “historic,” could lead to significant financial transactions — the total value of the deal is estimated in billions of dollars.

On September 30, a delegation from Ukraine, led by Serhiy Boev, Deputy Minister of Defense, arrived in Washington for negotiations with representatives of the Pentagon and the State Department.

The duration of the negotiations is still unknown. An American official noted that it may take several months before the deal is finally signed. The Telegraph emphasizes that the process may be delayed due to a government shutdown in the US, when many government employees will be on leave.

Despite the US having its own drone production, Ukraine has significantly outpaced the United States in the mass production of effective drones. Ukrainian devices are cheap, costing only 20-30% of similar devices in the West.

The parties are discussing several variations of technology transfer, including the possible creation of subsidiaries in the US. Also, any deals must consider the supply of Chinese components for Ukrainian drones, which may complicate the process.

For Ukraine, this agreement also has significant political importance in light of relations with the future American administration, but the demand for new technologies comes at a significantly lower cost, thanks to the training of Ukrainian specialists.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned on September 27, 2025, that the drone deal could be part of a large-scale agreement on the purchase of weapons worth billions of dollars, including long-range missiles.

The current pace of drone production in Ukraine ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands per month, compared to hundreds at the beginning of the conflict. Since 2024, separate Unmanned Systems Forces have already been operating in the Ukrainian military formations.

Other Western allies are also showing interest in Ukrainian technologies. At the end of September, the head of the European Commission announced the allocation of two billion euros to Ukraine for drones to master modern developments.