Ukraine and the EU Reach Drone Agreement, Russian Media: Russia is Also Continuously Upgrading Drone Technology in Response

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Russia, Xiao Xinxin] On the 15th, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, for a visit. According to the Ukrainian News Agency, during the Ukrainian National Day celebration held that day, von der Leyen announced that the EU and Ukraine had reached a drone agreement, stating that this opens a "new partnership" in the field of defense industry between the two sides. This is von der Leyen's 11th visit to Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and her second visit this year. Leaders from several countries, including Serbia, Romania, Slovenia, and Moldova, also arrived on the same day to participate in the fifth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit held in Kyiv. The European News Channel reported on the 15th that the EU and Ukraine would also discuss Ukraine's accession to the EU and preparations for the winter situation this year.

According to the Ukrainian News Agency, von der Leyen stated that in light of the threats facing Europe, the EU and Ukraine must jointly leverage Ukraine's unique combat experience accumulated in drones and anti-drone systems. This drone agreement will combine Ukraine's innovative capabilities with European industrial scale and send a clear signal to the outside world: now is the time to invest in Ukraine and European collective security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine currently produces 10 million drones annually and aims to achieve a target of 20 million drones per year in cooperation with Europe and other partners.

The European News Channel stated that several EU countries had previously signed individual drone agreements with Ukraine, and this newly signed agreement will allow all EU countries to participate. An important innovation of this move is that drones can be produced and stored within the EU rather than in Ukraine, providing a shelter to resist Russian strikes. Subsequently, these drones will be transferred to Ukraine or to EU countries in need. The European Dynamics website mentioned that this agreement is expected to create a more integrated drone production environment for 18 EU and Ukrainian companies. The agreement also includes 2 billion euros in new funding, with at least 10 billion euros coming from the EU's "European Security Action" project.

Russian media such as "Vesti.ru" analyzed on the 15th that the EU's move aims to provide stable and sustainable funding, technology, and logistics chains for Ukraine's drone production to expand its scale. However, this move has limited effect on improving Ukraine's battlefield predicament, while Russia is continuously upgrading its drone technology in response. According to U.S. media reports, Russia is vigorously improving its "Geranium" drones.

The Ukrainian TSN television website analyzed that Russia's missile attacks on Ukraine may become more frequent in the future, and the attack patterns may also change. The Russian military will increasingly use a large number of drones as decoys to divert Ukraine's air defense system's attention while simultaneously launching multiple ballistic missiles to strike specific high-value targets. An advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Biskrestnov, recently stated that the current conflict has shifted from frontline combat to deep strikes and medium-range strikes. Both Ukraine and Russia are systematically destroying each other's infrastructure, and Russia may attack all possible targets within 100 kilometers of the front line in Ukraine.

The Russian newspaper "Arguments and Facts" stated that von der Leyen's visit aims to once again demonstrate support for Ukraine, but the EU's commitment to aid Ukraine also faces significant difficulties. The EU only allocated the first tranche of 3.2 billion euros from a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine on June 25 this year, and it remains uncertain whether Ukraine will receive sufficient funding by the end of the year. Furthermore, as Russia intensifies its strikes on Ukraine's military and energy facilities, Ukraine will face a difficult situation this winter, and the EU's so-called assistance to help Ukraine cope with the winter situation may be ineffective, as it lacks truly effective means.

According to the Russian newspaper "Kommersant," there are serious internal divisions within the EU regarding support for Ukraine. Due to internal debates among member states, the EU's 21st round of sanctions against Russia has experienced setbacks and has faced "difficulties." Countries such as Greece and Malta have raised objections to restrictions related to Russian liquefied natural gas, while Austria has expressed differing opinions on financial restrictions against Russia. Reports suggest that even if this round of sanctions against Russia is passed, it will only have "symbolic significance," and as internal conflicts accumulate, it will become increasingly difficult for the EU to reach new sanctions against Russia in the future.

Currently, the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains intense. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have launched strikes against important oil refineries and Russian oil tankers within Russia. On the 15th, Russian forces again targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region and other areas. Russian media reported that this aims to cut off the Ukrainian military's access to ammunition, equipment, and fuel supply routes.