The EU Defense Innovation Office opens in Kyiv; Umerov explains how Ukraine has become a defense tech center.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and EC President Ursula von der Leyen opened the EU Defense Innovation Office in Ukraine. The minister said that special attention will be paid to joint developments in IT and weapons production, which will be decisive for Ukraine’s victory over Russia. Umerov noted that Ukraine has become a world leader in drone technology over the past two and a half years.

Today, more than 500 Ukrainian drone manufacturers and thousands of developers create advanced solutions for combat operations. With an annual production capacity of up to three million drones, Ukraine has proven itself as an emerging global defense technology center.

Umerov said that the Ukrainian authorities are doing everything possible to ensure that the missile program’s production capacity is similar to the drone program’s output, and efforts are already underway. Currently, Ukraine is waiting for an official response from its partners regarding the missile program’s financing.