Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Azerbaijan signed contracts under a drone cooperation agreement following his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. The two leaders met on Thursday on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin. Zelenskyy stated, "First and foremost, the Drone Deal. Contracts have been signed, and we are working to scale up orders." He also noted that Azerbaijani companies continue to work in Ukraine despite Russia’s attacks.
Discrepancies in official reports
The Azerbaijani presidential administration did not mention the drone contracts in its account of the meeting. Instead, the official Azerbaijani readout focused on expanding trade, economic relations, and humanitarian assistance involving electrical equipment. This lack of mention regarding the military contracts contrasts with Zelenskyy’s statement that the drone agreement was the main priority discussed.
Defense cooperation history
This agreement follows previous discussions between the two nations regarding military-technical cooperation. In August, Zelenskyy discussed a Drone Deal with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during the minister’s visit to Ukraine. Earlier, on 25 April, Zelenskyy visited Azerbaijan for the first time since the 2022 invasion began. During that visit to Gabala, the presidents signed six bilateral documents covering several areas of cooperation. Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukrainian experts work in Azerbaijan to share experience in protecting civilian and critical infrastructure from aerial attacks. Under its current framework, Ukraine has concluded nine Drone Deals with partner countries and negotiates with around 20 others. This framework includes:
- Joint production
- Financing
- Localisation of manufacturing
- Technology transfers
- Research and development
- Cybersecurity cooperation
- Exchange of military expertise
