By Kyiv Post

Copyright kyivpost

A Ukrainian delegation has arrived in the United States for high-level talks on joint drone production, Kyiv’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday. It described the meeting as a step toward deepening defense-industrial cooperation with Washington.

The delegation is led by Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boiev and is expected to focus on the technical aspects of implementing a joint production program for unmanned aerial systems, officials told Suspilne media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously announced that Ukraine and the US were negotiating what he called a “Drone Deal,” which would allow American partners to receive Ukrainian-designed drones of various types.

Zelensky said Kyiv had proposed a five-year, $50 billion framework that would involve producing up to 10 million drones annually, with the program not expected to take effect until the war with Russia ends.

Alongside the Drone Deal, Zelensky said on Sept. 27 that Ukraine is also preparing a broader “Mega Deal” to cover the purchase of as much as $90 billion worth of US weapons covering several systems including long-range missiles.

“We have discussed the main things, agreed with the (US) president, now we are moving on to practical implementation,” Zelensky said, while declining to provide further details, citing the sensitivity of the negotiations.

Last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, to discuss security guarantees, including a major drone agreement.

Shmyhal and Kellogg discussed “preparations for the signing of an agreement between the presidents of Ukraine and the US concerning drone production and sales – a Drone Deal,” Shmyhal added.

The so-called drone deal, unveiled in July, involved the US purchasing battle-tested drones and technology from Kyiv in exchange for unspecified US weapons, as described by Zelensky as a “win-win” situation.