EU to Boost Ukraine’s Drone Production with €2 Billion, von der Leyen Says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday announced an agreement with Ukraine on a €2 billion package to expand drone production.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Ursula von der Leyen’s post on social media platform X.
Speaking in Brussels alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of a Commission security meeting, von der Leyen described Ukraine as “our first line of defense” and said the EU must match its rhetoric with concrete action.
“If we continue to consider Ukraine as our first line of defense, we must intensify military aid. Specifically, we agreed with Ukraine that a total of €2 billion will now be spent on drones. This enables Ukraine to scale up production and harness its full potential – and it allows the EU to benefit from this technology too,” she said.
Von der Leyen underscored Ukraine’s resilience more than three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. “Ukraine continues to resist on the battlefield, without losing any territory this year. It is striking: in the last 1,000 days, Russia has seized only 1% of occupied territory – despite losing more than a quarter of a million soldiers,” she noted.
Russia, von der Leyen added, faces mounting economic strain with interest rates at 17%, inflation above 10%, and projected GDP growth slowing to just 0.9% in 2025 after 4.3% last year.
“We are at a moment in Russia’s war on Ukraine where decisive action on Europe’s side, in coordination with NATO, can lead to a real turning point,” she stressed.
The EU Commission President also tied the new funding to broader European security efforts, including plans to create a “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern borders. The initiative, part of the Eastern Flank Watch project, aims to integrate counter-drone systems, air and missile defenses, as well as maritime and space-based surveillance.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the talks come just ahead of an EU leaders’ summit in Copenhagen on October 1, where Ukraine and defense cooperation are expected to dominate the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address leaders via video link, before joining the October 2 European Political Community summit in person.