The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a new EU-wide drone partnership with Ukraine on Wednesday during a Kyiv ceremony marking Ukraine’s Statehood Day. The agreement aims to merge Ukraine’s battlefield drone expertise—developed since Russia’s 2022 invasion—with European manufacturing capacity, facilitating joint projects and expanded output. Von der Leyen noted that the EU could provide Kyiv with “huge technological and industrial capacity” and “safe and secure production sites.” The deal, the first of its kind covering all EU member states, is part of a broader defence industrial cooperation that the commission said could grow to include anti-ballistic missiles by 2028. It reflects European efforts to leverage Ukrainian wartime experience to strengthen continental defences against Russia.