Ukraine awaits WH sign-off on US drone production deal: Zelenskyy

Kyiv: Ukraine is awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Kyiv last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as countries scramble to modernise their air defences after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.

The proposed US-Ukraine deal would cover various types of drones and air defences that operate as a single system capable of protecting against swarms of hundreds or even thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and missiles, Zelenskyy said in a message on social media.

“We have not yet had the opportunity to sign this document,” he said. Russia has fired tens of thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbour just over four years ago. It launched a swarm of more than 800 drones and decoys in its biggest nighttime barrage. Iran has responded to joint US-Israeli strikes by firing the same type of drones at targets in the Middle East.

Ukraine has pioneered the development of cut-price drone killers, some of which cost a few thousand dollars, that have rewritten the air defence rule book.

The conflict unfolding in the Middle East might prompt American officials to sign the drone production proposal, Zelenskyy said.agencies