Zelensky Promotes Drone Cooperation in Bucarest as Italy Plans Joint Production With Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Bucarest to promote military cooperation with drones ahead of a trip to Paris where he is to be received by French President Emmanuel Macron, according to France 24.

In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the Italy wanted to manufacture drones with Ukraine, describing it as “un secteur dans lequel nous savons que l'Ukraine est devenue une nation leader ces dernières années”.

Al Jazeera

Meloni said “Soutenir l'Ukraine est un devoir moral, mais aussi une nécessité stratégique. La sécurité de l'Europe est en jeu”, while Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to work with Italy on an “accord sur les drones” and on the production of “systèmes antiaériens”.

Euronews reported that Zelensky’s European tour also included agreements with Berlin and Oslo for the production of drones and defense supplies, and it said the measures agreed between Kyiv and Berlin include “dix accords” and “s'élève à quatre milliards d'euros”.

Euronews said Zelensky signed agreements with Berlin and Oslo this week, including “la fourniture de missiles de défense aérienne Pac-2” and “lanceurs pour le système antiaérien Iris-T”, and it added that a contract with RTX covers the supply of Pac-2 missiles.

News.Az, citing RBC-Ukraine, said Ukraine and Germany signed an agreement to jointly design and manufacture advanced missile systems to intercept ballistic threats during a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein, where Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius finalized the document.

AP News

News.Az also reported that Germany agreed to fully finance the joint production of the Ukrainian-designed “Termit” unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), with “plusieurs milliers” of the robotic systems to be manufactured on German soil to supply the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

In a separate Netherlands-focused report, Mykhailo Fedorov said the Netherlands would soon launch production of Ukrainian long-range and medium-range strike drones under a bilateral cooperation program, and he wrote: “As part of the Build with Ukraine program, we are launching the production of Ukrainian unmanned systems in the Netherlands,” while adding that the initial phase would supply drones exclusively to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other Ukrainian defense units.

El Mundo described Ukraine’s drone and counter-drone push through the Strum Blade, saying the company’s director Yevgeny Semenov warned that “The only way to stop them is to cut the cable,” because “90% of our casualties occur during the supply or replacement of troops”.

El Mundo said the Strum Blade can “clear” 10 kilometers per hour and “It costs about $1,500,” while it contrasted that with a Shaheed that “exceeds $20,000” and with Patriot interception missiles that “cost around four million”.

The same report said Semenov described an interceptor system where “Each unit covers an area of 25 kilometers,” and it added that “Since 2024 we have deployed about 7,000 interceptors”.

El Mundo also tied the technology push to a wider industrial showcase, saying the Uttc Technology Week in the Lviv region brought together nearly fifty companies specializing in demining and other war-related technologies, and it said the event coincided with the presence of nearly 60 Ukrainian companies at Eurosatory-2026 in Paris.