‘Ukraine is Europe, and Europe is Ukraine’: EU allocates €1bn for Ukrainian drone production

‘Ukraine is Europe, and Europe is Ukraine’: EU allocates €1bn for Ukrainian drone production The European Union is allocating €1 billion to Ukraine to finance drone production as part of a broader €90 billion support package, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during a visit to Kyiv. Speaking on Ukraine’s Statehood Day, von der Leyen declared that “Ukraine is Europe, and Europe is Ukraine,” reaffirming the European Union’s long-term political, economic and military commitment to Kyiv. The funding forms part of a new EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership, designed to deepen cooperation between European and Ukrainian defence industries, particularly in drone technology and military innovation. Addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders, von der Leyen said Ukraine’s battlefield experience had transformed the country from a recipient of security assistance into a contributor to Europe’s collective defence. “Ukraine has, in many ways, gone from being a buyer to a net security provider for Europe,” she said. She described the agreement as “our very own Drone Deal,” saying it would combine Ukraine’s battlefield-tested expertise with Europe’s industrial production capacity. According to von der Leyen, the partnership will focus on joint drone production, strengthening supply chains and accelerating investment in defence manufacturing. “Together, we can work on joint production. Together, we can provide both defence industrial bases with the impetus needed to decisively step up investment and production,” she said. The Commission president argued that investing in Ukraine’s defence industry is also an investment in Europe’s future security. She also reiterated the European Union’s continued backing for Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying Kyiv’s struggle is not only about defending its own sovereignty but also about protecting the values and freedoms on which Europe was built. “Today, Ukraine’s fight is not only a fight for your own freedom. It is an existential fight for Europe’s freedoms, its values and its self-determination,” she said. During her address, von der Leyen reflected on her visits to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, recalling the devastation in Bucha and the destruction of the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum as examples of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of war. She concluded by saying that Ukraine’s resilience embodies the spirit of Europe. “This is our common dream. This is our common destiny. And together we will make it happen,” she said. Russia had not publicly responded to the announcement at the time of publication.