Ukraine, Germany seal €4bn defence pact for drones after Saudi cooperation deal

Ukraine and Germany have agreed on a major strategic defence partnership that will expand military cooperation, including joint drone production, air defence support and defence investment , as Kyiv continues its war against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the agreement during a news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, saying the cooperation would cover “ various types of drones, missiles, software and modern defence systems ”.

Under the deal, Germany will gain access to Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone expertise , developed during the war with Russia, while providing additional military assistance to Kyiv.

A key component of the agreement is a €4 billion defence package , which includes hundreds of Patriot air-defence missiles funded through contracts with the United States and dozens of IRIS-T launch systems to strengthen Ukraine’s protection against Russian drone and missile attacks.

Germany also pledged billions of euros in defence investment and support for Ukraine’s defence industry, including plans for joint production of about 5,000 AI-enabled drones . The two countries said they would “ strengthen cooperation in the air defence field ” and expand drone co-production ventures.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius for the package, calling it “ a massive boost for our air defence… to protect our cities and critical infrastructure ”.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has the industrial capacity to produce twice as much military equipment as it currently deploys but lacks funding to scale up output. “ We simply don’t have enough money ,” he said, urging approval of a €90 billion European Union loan .

Merz noted the partnership would also benefit Germany, saying Ukraine’s forces are among the most battle-tested in Europe . The agreement includes digital battlefield data exchange to support development of new weapons systems.

The deal follows Ukraine’s recent defence cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia as Kyiv expands international partnerships in drone warfare and military technology.