Romania to invest €200m in joint drone production with Ukraine

Romania's Defence Minister Radu Miruță has said the first steps have been taken with a Ukrainian delegation towards the joint development and production of drones.

Miruță stressed that the Romanian military must draw on what has already proved effective, noting that Ukraine has some of the most extensive experience in the world in using drones in real combat conditions.

"Therefore, this evening, working together with the Ukrainian delegation, we have taken the first concrete steps to implement a joint project on the development and production of drones between Romania and Ukraine.

We are talking not only about procurement, but about the ability to produce here in Romania next-generation technologies, with the transfer of know-how and a continuous innovation process," Miruță wrote on Facebook.

According to Miruță, the project is receiving €200 million in funding under the SAFE programme and has a clear goal: for Romania to be not only a beneficiary, but also an active participant in shaping its own defence capabilities.

"We are already working on forming a dedicated team, and the deadline for signing the contract is the end of May. Meanwhile, specialised personnel and companies from both countries are holding practical discussions on technical solutions that can be implemented quickly and effectively," he added.

In recent days, Armin Papperger, CEO of the German defence concern Rheinmetall, has found himself at the centre of a controversy. In an interview with The Atlantic, he said that Ukrainian drones lack innovation and compared their production to playing with Lego. Asked about Ukrainian defence companies Fire Point and Skyfall, Papperger described them as "housewives with 3D printers".

After Papperger's interview triggered a backlash, Rheinmetall stated that it has "the utmost respect" for Ukrainians' efforts to defend themselves against the Russian invasion, particularly given their limited resources.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Papperger's remarks as strange.