Ukraine’s Drone Industry Is Now So Powerful Germany Had To Sign a Historic Deal
On April 14, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and Defence Minister Fedorov flew to Berlin, signing defence cooperation accords — including a drone production deal Zelenskiy described as potentially the largest of its kind in Europe.
Germany has been Ukraine’s biggest European military backer — delivering about 55 billion euros ($64 billion) in aid since Russia’s 2022 invasion, with 11.5 billion euros already set aside in the current national budget.
At the Berlin news conference, Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared no defence industry had become more innovative than Ukraine’s, emphasising that German support was simultaneously strengthening both German and broader European defence capabilities and industrial base.
Germany’s defence ministry confirmed funding for hundreds of Patriot missiles from U.S. firm Raytheon, plus launchers for IRIS-T systems from Germany’s Diehl Defence — revealing much of prior aid had already gone toward buying U.S. weapons.
Berlin agreed to create a joint venture to supply thousands of drones to Ukraine’s military. Germany also committed several hundred million euros to fund deep strike capabilities — a major escalation in long-range military support.
U.S.-led peace efforts have stalled since the Iran conflict began. Chancellor Merz called Europe’s role in any Moscow deal “indispensable” and announced a national security advisers’ meeting — with the U.S. invited to participate.
