Zelensky: Drone 'mega-deal' with Trump possible

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are in talks for an agreement in which the U.S. would buy Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from Washington, the Ukrainian leader told the New York Post.

The “mega deal” would have Ukraine sharing its battle-tested drone technology and know-how from its three-year war with Russia, as the U.S. is seen as lagging in small military drone technology compared to Russia and China.  

“The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal,” Zelensky told the Post in the interview conducted Wednesday and released Thursday.

Ukrainian drones have been able to strike targets as deep as 800 miles (or 1,300 kilometers) into Russian territory. In one of the more impressive operations in the conflict, 117 Ukrainian drones took out dozens of Russian bombers stationed at four military bases across the country in Operation Spiderweb.

“We will be ready to share this experience with America and other European partners,” Zelensky said, noting that Ukraine was also in talks with Denmark, Norway and Germany.

The report comes as Zelensky on Thursday announced unspecified future agreements with the United States that he said would bolster Ukraine.

Drone warfare is seen as the future of conflicts after Kyiv and Moscow have spent three years trading blows, sometimes utilizing hundreds of relatively cheap unmanned aerial vehicles a day that can carry explosives. 

Case in point, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this month issued a new directive to fast-track U.S. drone production and “cut red tape.”

The new Pentagon memo outlined the U.S. military’s need to keep pace as global military drone production has recently skyrocketed, with Hegseth saying he wants service members from all branches of the military to be trained in drone operations.

Next year's Pentagon budget request also raises spending on small drones.