Ukraine and the United States have signed a bilateral statement of intent establishing the groundwork for an unprecedented defense partnership that would allow Ukrainian combat drones to be exported to the United States for military testing, according to two sources who spoke to RFE/RL.

"The deal has been sealed," one official told RFE/RL. A second source confirmed that the document had been "signed by both sides." The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

The bilateral statement of intent sets the framework for future drone cooperation and represents the first agreement of its kind between the two nations. It marks a significant breakthrough after months of negotiations over deeper defense-industrial cooperation, as the Pentagon seeks rapid access to Ukrainian battlefield innovations developed during more than four years of full-scale war with Russia.

The agreement is expected to create a formal pathway for Ukrainian land, air, and maritime drones to be exported to the United States for military testing and evaluation, potentially informing future Pentagon procurement requirements. While the statement of intent is not itself a production contract, it is viewed as the first concrete step toward broader cooperation that could eventually include joint manufacturing of Ukrainian-designed combat drones on US soil.

The agreement comes as the Pentagon accelerates efforts to strengthen its unmanned capabilities under its emerging "Drone Dominance" initiative. According to background information obtained by RFE/RL, the planned framework would enable the US military to request specific Ukrainian drone platforms for testing and assessment rather than operational deployment. Any move from evaluation to acquisition or domestic production would require separate procurement decisions and follow-on agreements.

'A Giant Leap Forward'

The initiative follows more than four years of rapid wartime innovation that has transformed Ukraine into one of the world's leading developers of low-cost, combat-proven unmanned systems, including interceptor drones, electronic warfare platforms, and maritime attack drones. Analysts said the agreement could significantly expand military-industrial ties between the two countries.

"This is a giant leap forward for American defense," Dan Rice, president of American University Kyiv and former special adviser to the commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, told RFE/RL. "I've been saying for five years that the US needs to make a cultural change to learn from Ukraine. This is the first step."

Daniel Balson, advocacy director at the nonprofit Razom for Ukraine, said Ukrainian drone technology had become one of the country's most valuable military exports. "Ukrainian drones are among the best in the world. They are battle-tested, combat-proven, and the product of some of the most innovative minds in modern warfare," he told RFE/RL.

Ukrainian Maritime Drone Maker Expands to US

The signing of the statement of intent comes as US-Ukrainian defense-industrial cooperation gathers momentum. On July 21, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ukrainian autonomous systems developer UFORCE and US shipbuilder ReconCraft.

The agreement will bring the combat-proven MAGURA family of autonomous maritime drones to the United States while expanding cooperation on unmanned aerial, maritime, and ground systems. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna said she was confident the agreement would "encourage many other companies to follow its example and deepen US-Ukraine defense industrial cooperation."

The UFORCE-ReconCraft partnership follows the first combat use of unmanned surface vessels by US forces earlier in July during strikes on Iranian naval targets.

Under the agreement, Oregon-based ReconCraft will work with UFORCE to manufacture the 24-foot MAGURA maritime drones in the United States, with production eventually expected to reach hundreds — and ultimately thousands — of vessels for potential US Navy procurement.

Sean Plankey, chief executive of UFORCE's American operations, described the project as a model for combining Ukrainian combat experience with American industrial capacity, which would "help ensure these proven autonomous capabilities become available to the US."

For Washington, the agreement offers access to rapidly evolving, low-cost drone technologies developed under high-intensity combat conditions at a time when the Pentagon is seeking scalable unmanned capabilities amid growing concerns over threats from Russia, China, and Iran. For Ukraine, it represents another step toward integrating its defense industry into Western procurement and production networks while opening new opportunities for Ukrainian manufacturers to enter long-term allied supply chains.

Source: RFE/RL via OilPrice.com