Kiev, 15 July 2026 (dpa/MIA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a new EU-Ukraine partnership for the joint production of drones, which aims to combine Ukraine's battlefield experience with Europe's technological capacity.

Speaking in St Michael's Square on a visit to Kiev, von der Leyen said Ukraine's knowledge of drone and anti-drone systems is "truly unique." Europe meanwhile has "huge technological and industrial capacity that can be deployed" and "safe and secure production sites that can help to scale up," she said.

"Events here and around the world have shown us the importance to our security of being able to deploy battle-proven drone systems. At scale and at speed," von der Leyen said. 

The aim of the EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership is to provide the necessary impetus to boost investment and production, the commission head said.

Von der Leyen arrived in Kiev on Wednesday for her 11th visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

She described the visit in a post on X as coming at a "special moment," saying Ukraine had built up strong military momentum and that "the tide is turning."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also awarded the commission chief the Ukrainian Order of Europe. This was bestowed for the first time on von der Leyen "for outstanding personal merit in supporting Ukraine's strategic course towards full membership in the European Union, a significant contribution to assisting Ukraine and strengthening its resilience in defending its independence and the security of Europe." 

Writing on X after the ceremony, von der Leyen said she was "honoured to receive the Order of Europe." She paid tribute to Ukraine's spirit, which she said was "unbreakable and indestructible, stoic and unshakeable," describing it as "the founding spirit of Europe."

MIA file photo