Ukraine, US set to reach historic drone defense deal as Iran war highlights capabilities, needs

Kyiv — The governments of the United States and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a possible new defense agreement between the countries, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The plan developed by the U.S. State Department and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, is a first step toward a defense deal that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the United States and manufacture drones in joint ventures with U.S. companies.

During the war in Iran, Ukraine capitalized on innovations forged by the country’s military and defense companies during more than four years of grueling conflict with Russia. kyiv has sent interceptors and drone pilots to the Middle East to help U.S. allies defend against the same types of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia has used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Over the past two months, Ukraine has already signed defense deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and Ukrainian officials say more deals are in the works.

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Sting interceptor drone before a test flight February 22, 2026, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. Alex Nikitenko/Global Images Ukraine/Getty

“Almost 20 countries are currently involved at different stages: 4 agreements have already been signed and the first contracts under these agreements are being prepared,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Ukrainian officials first floated the idea of ​​drone cooperation at the White House in August 2025, after President Trump privately praised Operation Spiderweb, a daring Ukrainian drone attack deep behind Russian lines. The operation saw Ukrainian pilots remotely guide explosive drones – deployed from discreet trucks smuggled into Russia – to destroy dozens of Russian warplanes as they were parked on tarmacs across the country.

Filling gaps in budgets and production capacities

Drone collaboration with the United States, Ukrainian officials told CBS News, would be mutually beneficial, as American funding would help both countries increase their defense production.

Ukraine’s National Security Council projects a defense production capacity of $55 billion in 2026. To achieve this capacity, Ukraine will need significantly more external financing, as Kyiv currently only has funds to purchase weapons worth about $15 billion this year, according to Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries.

Ukraine also excels at manufacturing weapons systems that the United States has not previously prioritized. A Ukrainian manufacturer plans to produce more than 3 million low-cost military drones with first-person views in 2026. The United States has only built 300,000 in 2025, for comparison.

Ukrainian companies are also developing innovative electronic warfare methods and equipment. Technology developed by Sine Engineering, a Ukrainian defense company that recently received a multimillion-dollar investment from the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, allows drones to fly without GPS guidance to avoid signal jamming.

Several Ukrainian companies have already imported their technology to the United States. In March, General Cherry, one of Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers, signed a deal to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the United States alongside American military manufacturer Wilcox Industries.

The Pentagon also invited Ukrainian companies to participate in its Drone Dominance initiative, a $1.1 billion program aimed at identifying drones for U.S. military contracts.

But a broader defense deal, which could potentially bring more Ukrainian technology to the United States, has faced political obstacles.

From “lack of support” to “positive news for Ukraine”?

Ukrainian officials told CBS News they felt a “lack of buy-in” for a drone deal from senior officials at the Defense Department and the White House, particularly since the start of the war in Iran. President Trump has publicly rejected Ukraine’s efforts to provide counter-drone technology to the Middle East.

“We don’t need their help on drone defense,” Mr. Trump told Fox News in early March. “We know more about drones than anyone. In fact, we have the best drones in the world.”

CBS News reached out to the White House and the U.S. State Department on Tuesday for comment on the potential deal taking shape with Ukraine, but there was no immediate response.

Ukraine’s wartime needs also posed challenges to reaching an agreement.

Zelensky said the government would ease broad military export restrictions only after kyiv is certain that the intellectual property of Ukrainian companies is protected and that they are still able to provide enough supplies for Ukraine’s defense amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

But the memorandum drafted between kyiv and Washington on a preliminary drone deal seems to suggest that these obstacles may be disappearing.

“In addition to the Middle East and the Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe, we will soon launch this new security cooperation within the framework of the drone agreements with another part of the world as well,” Zelenskyy said in his message on Telegram this week. “We are preparing positive news for Ukraine.”

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