The US is preparing an arms deal with Ukraine that will see Kyiv supply military technology to Washington, rather than the other way around.
Ukraine has received US weapons for years, but since 2022 it has, by necessity, become a world leader in cheap battlefield drones. Ukrainian officials are in Washington to discuss sharing that expertise in exchange for potentially billions of dollars in arms sales.
Ukraine now has “the world’s most innovative defense sector,” a Jamestown Foundation report said: The industry has grown 350% since Russia’s invasion, and has become the world’s “drone capital.” Upcoming AI-powered drone “swarms,” rather than single drones requiring an operator each, are the likely next step.