Von der Leyen announces €2bn drone funding agreement with Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced an agreement with Ukraine to allocate €2 billion for drone technology.

Ursula von der Leyen emphasised at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte the need to continue and strengthen military support for Ukraine "if we continue to believe that Ukraine is our first line of defence".

"Therefore, concretely, we have agreed with Ukraine that a total of €2 billion will be spent on drones now. This allows Ukraine to scale up and use its full capacity," she stressed.

The European Commission president added that the initiative will also enable the European Union to benefit from the technology.

In early September, von der Leyen announced an advance allocation of €6 billion, financed from profits on frozen Russian assets, for the production of drones for Ukraine.

European Pravda also reported that EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius called for the urgent development of a so-called drone wall on the EU's eastern flank, following violations of Polish airspace by Russian drones.

According to media reports, the EU will rely on drone technologies that have proven effective in Ukraine during the creation of this drone wall.