Kyiv— The governments of the U.S. and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a potential new defense deal between the countries, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The draft hashed out by the U.S. State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna is a first step toward a defense agreement that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the U.S. and to manufacture drones in joint ventures with American companies.

During the war in Iran, Ukraine hascapitalized on innovationsforged by the country's military and defense contractors over more than four years of grueling conflict with Russia. Kyiv hassent drone interceptors and pilotsto the Middle East to help U.S. allies defend against the same types of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia has used toattack Ukraine's towns and cities.

Already, over the last two months, Ukraine has signeddefense agreementswith Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, and Ukrainian officials say more deals are in the works.

"Nearly 20 countries are currently involved at various stages: 4 agreements have already been signed, and the first contracts under these agreements are now being prepared," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyysaidon Telegram.

Ukrainian officials first pitched the idea of cooperation on drones to the White House in August 2025, after PresidentTrump privately lauded Operation Spiderweb, a daring Ukrainian drone attack deep behind Russian lines. The operation saw Ukrainian pilots remotely guide explosive drones — deployed from inconspicuous trucks that had been smuggled into Russia —to destroy dozens of Russian warplanesas they sat parked on tarmacs around the country.

Drone collaboration with the U.S., Ukrainian officials told CBS News, would be mutually beneficial, as American financing would help both countries expand their defense production output.

Ukraine's National Security Councilprojectsa defense production capacity of $55 billion in 2026. To realize that capacity, Ukraine will need much more external financing as Kyiv currently only has funds to buy around $15 billion worth of weapons this year, according to Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Strategic Industries.

Ukraine also excels in manufacturing weapons systems the U.S. has not previously prioritized. One Ukrainian manufacturer plans toproducemore than 3 million low-cost first-person-view military drones in 2026. The U.S. built only 300,000 in 2025, by comparison.

Ukrainian companies are also developing innovative electronic warfare methods and hardware. Technology pioneered by Sine Engineering, a Ukrainian defense firm that recently received a multi-million dollar investment from the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, allows drones to fly without GPS guidance to evade signal-jamming.

Source: Drudge Report