The European Union will finance the deployment of mass production of drones in Ukraine for the amount of 2 billion euros. The funds will be paid in tranches according to clear rules and will be subject to return only if Ukraine receives reparations from Russia.
The European Union will finance the deployment of mass production of drones in Ukraine for the amount of 2 billion euros. The funds will be paid in tranches according to clear rules and will be subject to return only if Ukraine receives reparations from Russia.
The new agreement was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a briefing in Brussels, Ukrinform reports .
According to her, the EU package will help Ukraine «scale up and use its full potential,» and also gain its own benefits from these technologies — with the ability to integrate them into the Union’s security systems.
Von der Leyen separately emphasized the need for a collective response to Russian drone attacks and announced rapid steps within the Eastern Flank Watch initiative: this involves building a «drone wall» — a coordinated set of surveillance and interception solutions at the EU borders, which will work together with Ukrainian and NATO capabilities.
Two billion euros will be allocated in parts for specific projects for the production of UAVs, their components and software. Control over spending and orientation towards a quick launch into series production are provided: from reconnaissance and strike platforms to electronic warfare, navigation and communication equipment. The return of funds is possible only if Ukraine receives reparations from Russia — this is recorded as a separate condition.
The EU is also forming a «drone wall» with the Baltics, Poland, Finland and Norway joining, and Ukraine will also be part of this initiative. In parallel, the European Commission is preparing a new mechanism for financing defense assistance, which should provide a longer horizon and a more stable flow of funds.
Ukraine has created its own «drone economy» in recent years: from state incentive programs and a catalog of solutions to digital marketplaces and accelerated procurement for the military. The new European package logically fits into this model: it opens a common supply market, facilitates cooperation between factories, and removes bottlenecks with components.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the launch of the BraveTech EU platform is being slowed down by bureaucratic procedures in the EU, but Kyiv insists on a quick start.
