Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that weapons exports from Ukraine “will become a reality” after final approvals were secured at the state level, marking a major shift for a country at war.
New ‘Drone Deals’ initiative
Zelenskyy revealed a new cooperation framework called Drone Deals, which covers the production and supply of drones, missiles, ammunition, and other military equipment, alongside technology exchange and integration with allied defense systems. He stated that partnerships are already active with nations across the Middle East, the Gulf region, Europe, and the Caucasus. “A proposal is also on the table for our American partners,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Prioritizing domestic needs while exporting surplus
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that domestic military requirements will remain the top priority, with exports limited to surplus production. “Ukrainian companies will receive a real opportunity to enter partner countries’ markets, provided that our military has the right to receive the necessary volume of weapons first. A surplus of production capacity in Ukraine for certain types of weapons reaches 50%,” he said. Authorities will also compile a list of countries banned from receiving Ukrainian weapons due to their ties with Russia. “This is a serious challenge – to prevent our technologies and weapons from falling into Russian hands,” Zelenskyy added.