US to Send PAC-3 Air Defense Aid to Ukraine as Drone Technology Sharing Begins

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine will receive a new military assistance package from the United States in the coming days, following the NATO summit in Ankara.

Zelenskyy stated that the upcoming delivery will include additional PAC-3 interceptors to reinforce the nation's air defense capabilities.

Beyond immediate air defense support, the Ukrainian president addressed ongoing bilateral negotiations regarding unmanned systems.

While a comprehensive, long-term bilateral drone agreement has not yet been formalized, foundational documents have already been signed to facilitate the transfer of Ukrainian unmanned technologies to the United States for evaluation.

"First of all, I believe there is positive progress. Undoubtedly, the drone deal between Ukraine and America has not been signed yet. But there are some documents that have already been signed so that the American side could receive from Ukraine different types in which the United States of America is interested, for testing," Zelenskyy said.

According to the president, the current stage of cooperation involves sharing a wide array of specialized equipment that has been adapted to modern electronic warfare environments.

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This technology transfer includes aerial platforms, maritime systems, and various other technological developments designed to meet specific American operational interests.

"And they receive this from us: these are both aerial drones and maritime drones, and other technological things. And after that, we will move on to another, next stage — to the drone deal. But the fact that testing is underway right now, and we are receiving very positive feedback, is a fact," Zelenskyy added.

The evaluation process is intended to serve as a baseline for the next phase of the defense partnership, which aims to transition into a broader, formalized drone deal between the two countries. The initiative highlights a growing interest from the Pentagon in integrating battle-tested Ukrainian technical insights into its own testing programs.

During the NATO summit in Ankara, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had secured a new package of Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles financed through partner countries, though he stressed that the current supply remained insufficient to counter the scale of Russian aerial attacks.

Speaking in an interview, Zelenskyy explained that while official initiatives provided a fixed number of missiles monthly, Russia was launching roughly twice as many, prompting Kyiv to pursue alternative, unpublicized arrangements with individual nations to supplement its air defense stocks.

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