Zelenskyy offers Ireland new defense partnership
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Ireland (Office of the President of Ukraine)
During a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had proposed that Ireland sign a special agreement on drone technology, known as the Drone Deal. The new initiative aims to strengthen air and sea security through direct cooperation between businesses.
During his official visit to Dublin, the Ukrainian president met with the Irish prime minister, with innovation taking center stage in their talks. Kyiv is seeking to establish direct partnerships between defense companies from both countries.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has already launched an active dialogue with Ireland on emerging technologies, covering both the development and production of advanced defense systems.
Ukraine is ready to share its expertise, not only in designing drones but also in their battlefield use. The president stressed the importance of direct cooperation between private companies.
"Over the next 6 months, we can make real progress on the Drone Deal that Ukraine has proposed to the European Union. We have also concluded a good number of bilateral agreements and broader partnerships with European countries that can help bring Ukraine’s new defense technologies into wider use, including drone and counter-drone systems that are already proving effective," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian President said he hopes Ireland will review the proposal promptly. Irish companies could gain access to Ukraine's unique defense innovations, benefiting both countries.
Over the next 6 months, we can make real progress on the Drone Deal that Ukraine has proposed to the European Union. We have also concluded a good number of bilateral agreements and broader partnerships with European countries that can help bring Ukraine’s new defense… pic.twitter.com/h3dvNSVi9T
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 1, 2026
Ukraine expects a positive decision and hopes the partnership will cover several strategic areas, including:
- protecting airspace from security threats;
- ensuring the safety of maritime routes;
- developing digital command-and-control systems.
The President expresses a strong hope that Ireland will positively consider these opportunities for future cooperation. This is about the security of the skies and the security of the sea.
It is worth noting that Ireland continues to support Ukraine through diplomatic and humanitarian assistance.
Background
Ukraine has been actively promoting its drone technologies through the Drone Deal initiative. Most recently, Latvia officially joined the initiative, an international agreement on cooperation in defense technologies, particularly the development and production of unmanned systems.
It was also recently announced that US drone manufacturer Powerus and Ukrainian company Swarmer have partnered to supply the Pentagon with drones equipped with swarm-control technology.
