EU chief von der Leyen announces drone deal with Ukraine
On Ukraine's Statehood Day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the first EU-wide drone partnership agreement. The same day, Russian strikes killed six in Odesa and Sumy.
Speaking in Kyiv at a ceremony marking Ukraine's Statehood Day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership focused on drones. She said the deal would combine Ukrainian ingenuity with Europe's industrial scale, noting that Ukraine has gained unique expertise in drone and anti-drone systems.
This is the first agreement designed to cover countries and companies across the European Union. Previously, Ukraine had signed similar bilateral deals with individual nations. Von der Leyen stated that the EU can offer Ukraine vast technological and industrial capacity as well as secure production sites.
On the same day, Russian strikes killed six people across Ukraine. In Sumy, three people died and 17 were wounded after six guided aerial bombs hit the city, according to the regional governor. In Odesa, which has been under missile and drone attack for five consecutive days, three were killed and at least three injured. Russia confirmed the strikes and said it hit port infrastructure facilities.
Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine's drone forces claimed on Wednesday that Ukrainian drones struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, including 17 oil tankers.
