Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that he and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten explored expanding their nations’ collaborative weapons manufacturing efforts during the Dutch leader’s visit to Kyiv.
“It is important that we are producing weapons together with the Netherlands – and we will certainly continue and expand this joint work,” Zelenskyy posted on social media, noting their detailed conversations about investment opportunities and manufacturing capacity.
Over the past several months, Ukraine has intensified its push to develop collaborative defense manufacturing partnerships with European nations, establishing multiple facilities dedicated to producing unmanned aircraft.
With Iran deploying drones against American allies throughout the Gulf region and elsewhere in retaliation for sustained American and Israeli military operations, Ukraine sees an opportunity to strengthen its position with international partners by demonstrating how its hard-earned knowledge from four years of Russia’s comprehensive invasion could prove essential for allies’ future security needs.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine possesses unmatched expertise in countering drone attacks, the same technology Iran frequently deploys against Middle Eastern nations.
The Ukrainian leader revealed that his country stands ready to export interceptor drones not needed by Ukrainian forces, with the initial team of Ukrainian military trainers scheduled to deploy to the Middle East on Monday.
“They are coming with the means to help,” Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing that Ukraine would share its knowledge and practical experience in neutralizing “Shahed” drones and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian companies producing cost-effective interceptor drones specifically engineered to destroy hostile unmanned aircraft report having the manufacturing capability to supply international markets in substantial quantities.
