Ukraine and USA approaching agreement on UAV protection – media

The governments of the United States and Ukraine have prepared a draft memorandum outlining the terms of a potential new defense agreement between the countries, CBS News reports, citing knowledgeable sources.

"The draft, developed by the US State Department and Ukraine’s former Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova, is the first step toward concluding a defense agreement that will allow Ukraine to export military technology to the United States and produce drones within joint ventures with American companies," the broadcaster’s website reported.

It is noted that Ukraine has achieved significant success in producing weapons systems that the United States previously did not prioritize. One Ukrainian manufacturer plans to produce over 3 million low-cost military FPV (first-person view) drones in 2026. In 2025, the U.S. produced only 300,000 such drones.

Ukrainian companies are developing innovative methods and equipment for electronic warfare. Technology developed by Sine Engineering, a Ukrainian defense firm that recently received multi-million dollar investments from the American-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund, allows drones to fly without GPS navigation to avoid signal jamming.

Several Ukrainian companies have already introduced their technologies to the U.S. market. In March, the company General Chereshnya (General Cherry)entered into an agreement to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the U.S. jointly with the American military manufacturer Wilcox Industries.

The Pentagon also invited Ukrainian companies to participate in its "Drone Dominance" initiative—a $1.1 billion program aimed at selecting drones for U.S. military contracts.

Ukrainian officials told CBS News they sense a "lack of support" for the drone deal from high-ranking individuals in the Department of Defense and the White House, especially following the start of the war in Iran. President Trump has publicly rejected Ukraine’s attempts to supply counter-drone technology to the Middle East.

However, the memorandum prepared by Kyiv and Washington regarding the drone agreement at the initial stage indicates that these obstacles may be disappearing.