Ukraine launches first joint drone production line in Denmark, Zelensky says
Ukraine has launched its first line of joint drone production in Denmark and plans to develop further defense production programs in other European countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 5.
The announcement comes two months after Denmark and Ukraine signed a landmark defense agreement on July 4 allowing Ukrainian weapons companies to open production facilities on Danish soil
"We are currently developing co-production with European countries. The first line has already been launched in Denmark," Zelensky said at a joint press briefing alongside European Council President Antonio Costa.
"We have agreed on everything, and it is being launched now. Such lines will be opened with other European countries."
Zelensky said that such partnerships were important in providing security guarantees for Ukraine and pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table.
"We have to push our partners so that Putin wants to end the war," he said.
Zelensky announced on June 21 that Kyiv would soon begin exporting defense technologies and opening weapons production lines in partner countries as part of a broader effort to internationalize the country's arms production.
Denmark has been a key partner in that effort. In 2024, Denmark became the first country to fund weapons production by Ukrainian manufacturers, pioneering the "Danish model" of defense support for Kyiv.
Kyiv has also signed an agreement to jointly produce drones with the U.K. In July, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there was "great interest and desire to cooperate with Ukrainian drone manufacturers" in Paris.
Ukraine has been rapidly developing its drone capabilities since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, evolving from modifying commercial aircraft to producing military UAVs, attack drones, and reconnaissance systems at scale.
Zelensky said in June that Kyiv has the capacity, but not the financing, to produce 8 million drones per year. The president has called on foreign partners to finance new projects and match Ukraine's rapidly growing manufacturing capacity.
