Ukraine recently sent a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Defense Sergey Boyev to the United States. This visit was not aimed at seeking aid, but rather to discuss the details of a major deal for Ukraine to sell drones to the United States with officials from the U.S. Department of Defense and the State Department.

Ukraine has been engaged in intense battlefield confrontation with Russia for more than three years, and it has taken the lead in some unmanned equipment technologies. The United States has seen a continuous increase in demand for unmanned systems in recent years, and has shown strong interest in Ukraine's combat-tested unmanned equipment, especially drones. Both sides have a consistent willingness to cooperate in this field.

It is reported that the current negotiations on the U.S.-Ukrainian drone transaction have received support from U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. U.S. and Ukrainian officials revealed that according to this milestone agreement, Ukraine will share combat-tested drone technology with the United States in exchange for more aid. This also marks a significant progress in the security cooperation relationship between the two countries.

Aid provided by the United States to Ukraine

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Ukrainian military has always relied on weapons provided by the United States, and has been in a passive position. U.S. President Trump once held a dismissive attitude toward Ukraine and pressured Ukraine to give up part of its territory in exchange for a peace agreement with Russia. However, in recent times, Trump's attitude toward Ukraine has gradually changed, mainly because Russian President Putin refused to accept Trump's proposal for direct talks between the leaders of Europe and Ukraine and a ceasefire on the battlefield, leading to dissatisfaction with Putin, and then publicly and strongly expressed support for Ukraine. This change created conditions for further cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine.

A U.S. government official said that the value of the drone transaction currently being discussed between the U.S. and Ukraine may reach billions of dollars, but the final agreement is expected to take several months to be finalized.

Regarding the technical level of drones, U.S. drones have an advantage in precision and complexity, but they have disadvantages such as high price and low production volume. In low-intensity counterinsurgency operations, U.S. drones perform well, with outstanding strategic reconnaissance capabilities; however, their effectiveness is limited in high-intensity conventional warfare. The United States is currently focusing on "great power competition" and urgently needs a large number of low-cost drones. Therefore, Ukraine's combat-tested drones have come into the American view.

Ukrainian FPV Drones

Although Ukrainian drones are not as technologically advanced or refined as those of the United States, they have the advantages of low cost and easy mass production, and have performed well on the battlefield. Especially the Ukrainian produced FPV "Babayaqa" bomb-dropping drones have become one of the main weapons for the Ukrainian army to fight against the Russians, and their importance has surpassed tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery. Without drones, the Ukrainian army would find it difficult to stop the Russian attack.

In 2024, Ukraine produced over 2 million drones, with a production cost of only 20% to 30% of Western manufacturers. Such low-cost, easily mass-produced drones are exactly what the United States currently needs most. The United States hopes to obtain Ukrainian drone technology and related experience, and use it to increase domestic employment and promote manufacturing development.

If the drone transaction is completed, it will not only bring considerable foreign exchange income to Ukraine, but more importantly, it may cause U.S. President Trump to completely change his attitude towards Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to stabilize subsequent support and aid from the United States. Therefore, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has given great importance to this transaction and expressed his welcome.

Ukrainian Drones

Zelenskyy recently pointed out that Ukraine is working to solve the export problem of some surplus weapons to obtain additional funds for producing scarce equipment needed on the front line, as well as long-range precision-guided weapons that can strike deep into Russian territory. Currently, Ukraine is discussing four export agreements with customers in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and is preparing to sign relevant cooperation documents.

According to a report by the Kyiv Post, Zelenskyy previously proposed a five-year, $5 billion drone production plan, aiming to produce 10 million drones per year. However, this plan can only be fully implemented after the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends.

Foreign media reports point out that the reason why Ukrainian drones have achieved low costs and mass production is closely related to the extensive use of Chinese components. This situation may become an obstacle to the final realization of the U.S.-Ukrainian drone transaction. The United States is currently promoting a "great power competition" strategy against China, pushing for industrial decoupling, and requiring the assurance of drone supply chain security. If the U.S.-Ukrainian transaction is completed, American defense companies will not be able to use Chinese components when purchasing Ukrainian drones and technology. However, if Chinese components are excluded, with the high labor costs and current state of the U.S. manufacturing industry, achieving low costs and mass production would be almost impossible.

Ukrainian Unmanned Boats

Other than drones, the United States has also shown interest in Ukraine's unmanned boats and unmanned ground vehicles. Ukraine's unmanned boats and unmanned ground vehicles also have the characteristics of low cost and easy mass production. Therefore, if the U.S.-Ukrainian drone transaction is completed, the United States may further purchase unmanned boats and unmanned ground vehicles from Ukraine.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558027806904304182/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [top/minus] buttons.