Ukraine proposed a $50 billion drone partnership with the US a year ago. Washington hasn’t responded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine hopes to sign a large-scale drone production agreement with the United States worth roughly $35–50 billion, potentially creating a long-term partnership in military technology.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, Zelenskyy said the proposed deal would involve large-scale drone manufacturing over many years and could include a wide range of systems as technology evolves.

“I wanted to sign an agreement worth about $35–50 billion,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine already has the industrial capacity to support such a program.

He noted that while certain drone types, such as naval drones, could become outdated as technology changes, new systems – including underwater drones – are already being developed.

A year-old proposal, still waiting for an answer

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine first proposed the agreement to the United States nearly a year ago. The concept would create a flexible production system involving up to 200 companies, allowing the US side to choose among different technologies and manufacturers as new systems emerge.

Under one option discussed by Kyiv, the two countries could establish joint drone manufacturing facilities in the United States with equal participation.

Joint factories, shared output – and a priority clause for peacetime

The proposal envisions a 50/50 partnership involving Ukrainian and American engineers and shared production capacity. The drones produced under the program would be available for both countries’ militaries.

Zelenskyy said the United States has shown strong interest in the proposal but has not yet given a definitive response.

He added that if Ukraine were to enter a period of peace while production continues, the United States could receive priority access to the output if it required larger volumes.

Ukraine has become one of the world’s most active developers of combat drones during the war with Russia, rapidly expanding production of reconnaissance, strike, and naval systems used against Russian forces and military infrastructure.