From kitchen tables to billion-euro defence programs, Ukraine’s drone makers are proving they can punch above their weight. The EU is investing €1.5 billion to modernise European defence, with Kyiv as a key partner.
The European Commission approved on Monday a €1.5 billion work program under the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP). The goal is to strengthen and modernize the European defence industry, increase production capacity, and ensure technological progress and resilience. Starting on Tuesday, the first EDIP call for tenders will be available on the European Funding and Procurement Portal.
The EDIP addresses the most pressing challenges in European defence and security. It strengthens industrial production capacities and boosts cooperation with Ukraine. The programme also consolidates joint European procurement and develops defence projects of common interest.
Ukrainian core
“Member states, Norway, and, for the first time under an EU defence industrial program, Ukraine and its industries can seize funding opportunities to strengthen defence cooperation and increase production,” said Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space.
If every Ukrainian housewife is truly capable of building drones, then every Ukrainian housewife can also become chairman of the board of Rheinmetall. I congratulate our defence industry on this high level. — Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
Specifically for Ukraine, around €700 million will go to the production of anti-drone systems, missiles, and munitions. Another €320.5 million will support the launch and implementation of ambitious collaborative industrial projects with Norway. A European Commission spokesperson provided these details during the program announcement.
The EU also clearly reiterated that when drones fly over EU member states, Russia is primarily responsible. In Finland, for example, crashed Ukrainian drones remain a state issue. At the European level, the bloc has adopted measures to strengthen member states’ capabilities, such as the drone defence initiative. “This is an issue we are monitoring closely, and we are ready to support our member states,” the spokesperson added.
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The Rheinmetall’s case
Meanwhile, as the EU strengthens its defence programs for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has leveled strong criticism at Armin Papperger, CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. In recent days, Papperger compared Ukrainian drone manufacturers to housewives “who make components in their kitchens with the help of 3D printers”.
As the Handelsblatt newspaper reports, Zelensky addressed Papperger in person: “If every Ukrainian housewife is truly capable of building drones, then every Ukrainian housewife can also become chairman of the board of Rheinmetall. I congratulate our defense industry on this high level.”
Zelensky’s advisor, Alexander Kamyshin, also attacked Papperger. “Rheinmetall says our Lego drones are made by housewives in their kitchens. Fine. Meanwhile our Lego drones already burned more than 11 thousands of Russian tanks,” Kamyshin wrote on X on Saturday.
For its part, Rheinmetall responded on X on Sunday. The company “has the utmost respect for the immense efforts of the Ukrainian people”, the statement read. Papperger had already made this statement about Ukrainian housewives in reference to drone production last October.
