Ukraine inks new drone production deals with Romania, Lithuania

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on Monday met separately in Kyiv with his counterparts from Romania, Lithuania, and Canada to deepen defense cooperation, with agreements centering on industrial projects, drone production, and long-term military assistance.

Shmyhal praised Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Liviu-Ionuc Mosteanu for his country’s support, noting that Romania has already delivered 22 military aid packages to Ukraine and will soon provide the 23rd.

“Romania continues to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots and makes other significant contributions to the formation of our air defense shield. We agreed to strengthen coordination between our air defense forces,” he said, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

The delegations also discussed joint drone production and Romania’s potential participation in NATO's newly launched Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which channels American weapons to Ukrainian troops.

In another meeting, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Sakaliene and Shmyhal signed a Letter of Intent on joint defense production.

“Together, we are focusing on launching joint production, in particular, on the creation of long-range drones,” Shmyhal said, stressing that Lithuania’s commitment to allocate 0.25% of its GDP to military assistance for Ukraine until 2027 is a “strong signal of long-term support.”

Talks with Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty also focused on strengthening industrial cooperation. Shmyhal praised Canada’s recent $1 billion military aid package, which included drones and ammunition, as well as Ottawa’s $500 million contribution to the PURL program.

“We discussed expanding industrial cooperation, including investments in drone production with Ukraine,” he said.

Ukraine has stepped up defense partnerships with NATO and EU members in recent months, seeking to boost drone manufacturing capacity and secure long-term commitments.

Romania and Lithuania already rank among Kyiv’s most vocal European supporters, while Canada remains one of the largest non-European donors.