Ukraine and the United States signed a bilateral statement of intent on July 22 that creates a first-of-its-kind defense drone partnership between the two countries. The agreement clears the way for Ukrainian combat drones to be exported to the US military for testing and evaluation, according to sources familiar with the deal who spoke to RFE/RL.

Six Ukrainian drone manufacturers have been approved to ship approximately 100 units each to the Pentagon as part of the arrangement. The drones will feed into the US Drone Dominance program, a military initiative focused on scaling unmanned aerial capabilities.

How the deal came together

The groundwork for this agreement stretches back to August 2025, when initial negotiations between the two governments began. Discussions picked up steam in May 2026, with US State Department officials and Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna holding key talks that moved the framework toward its final shape.

President Zelenskyy referenced ongoing discussions about the “Drone Deal” publicly on May 31, signaling that the agreement had reached a serious stage. By early July, US lawmakers introduced legislation called the Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act, designed to support long-term drone cooperation between Washington and Kyiv.

Ukraine has already secured similar drone cooperation frameworks with EU members and Gulf states. The US agreement, however, carries significantly more weight given the Pentagon’s procurement budget and the scale of its drone ambitions.