Ukraine plans to conclude seven more defense drone deals with NATO countries by the end of the year — Guardian

Ukraine continues to expand international cooperation in the field of defense technologies. By the end of 2026, Kyiv plans to conclude seven more bilateral Drone Deal agreements with NATO member states aimed at developing unmanned technologies and strengthening the country’s defense capabilities.

This is reported by the British publication The Guardian.

Six international agreements have already been signed

According to the publication, Ukraine has already concluded six agreements in the Drone Deal format.

Three of them were signed with Middle Eastern countries:

Saudi Arabia;

United Arab Emirates;

Qatar.

These states have intensified their defense partnership with Ukraine against the backdrop of the aggravation of the security situation in the Middle East, in particular the war between the US and Israel against Iran.

Three more agreements were concluded with:

Azerbaijan;

Lithuania;

Latvia.

A new stage of cooperation with NATO countries

As The Guardian notes, citing its own sources, the next step will be the signing of seven more defense agreements with NATO member states by the end of 2026.

It is expected that the new agreements will provide for the deepening of cooperation in the field of production, development and implementation of unmanned systems, as well as the exchange of technologies and experience.

Ukraine shifts focus to Alliance allies

Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Davyd Aloyan, in a comment to The Guardian, reported that in the future Ukraine will focus mainly on cooperation with NATO countries.

According to him, special attention will be paid to states that are geographically closer to Russia, since they are the ones most interested in strengthening regional security and developing modern defense technologies.

The expansion of the network of international agreements Drone Deal should contribute to the development of the Ukrainian defense industry, accelerating the production of unmanned systems and strengthening cooperation with Ukraine’s key security partners.