Von der Leyen Unveils €6 Billion Drone Alliance with Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a €6 billion advance loan to support Ukraine’s drone production, describing the initiative as the launch of a new “Drone Alliance” between Kyiv and the European Union.
The Gaze reports this, referring to European Pravda.
The funding, drawn from profits generated by frozen Russian assets, was unveiled during her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen stressed that Ukrainian-made drones have been responsible for more than two-thirds of Russian equipment losses, calling their use “a reminder of the power of human ingenuity in our open societies.”
At the same time, she cautioned that Russia is rapidly scaling up its own capabilities with mass-produced Shahed drones supplied by Iran.
“Thus, ingenuity helped open the doors for Ukraine’s defense, but raw industrial might, on the other hand, may threaten to close them,” she warned.
To counter this, von der Leyen said the EU must leverage its own industrial strength to help Ukraine maintain its battlefield edge.
“We can help turn Ukrainian ingenuity into an advantage on the battlefield – and into joint industrialization. That is why I can also announce that Europe will advance €6 billion from the ERA loan and conclude a Drone Alliance with Ukraine,” she said.
The Commission chief emphasized that Ukraine now needs scale as much as creativity: “Ukraine has ingenuity. Now it needs scale. And together we can provide it: so that Ukraine maintains its advantage, and Europe strengthens its own.”
Von der Leyen also called for urgent work on a new mechanism to channel frozen Russian assets into long-term military funding for Ukraine, underlining the EU’s commitment to sustaining Kyiv’s defense against Moscow.
Read more on The Gaze: The War in Ukraine and the Global Arms Market: Who Has Profited the Most?