On January 16, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden declassified the latest portion of documents regarding military aid provided to Ukraine. The documentation pertains to a covert program supporting drone production, according to The New York Times.
The materials indicate that, in addition to technical assistance, the United States has spent at least $1.5 billion to aid Ukrainian companies involved in manufacturing military drones. The U.S. allocated funds for both supporting drone manufacturers and purchasing components for the unmanned aerial vehicles.
Additionally, the U.S. sent American intelligence personnel to Ukraine to assist Ukrainian military forces in developing a UAV production program.
Thanks to U.S. support, Ukraine was able to initiate the production of next-generation drones on its territory and subsequently expand this capability.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan noted that this had a "real strategic impact" on the course of the war against the Russian aggressor.
Sullivan emphasized that Ukraine first began utilizing drones during its initial counter-offensive in the fall of 2022.
After the unsuccessful counter-offensive by the Ukrainian Defense Forces in 2023, he stated that American officials decided to increase support for Ukrainian drone manufacturers.
Sullivan added that the Russian army was able to halt the advance of Ukrainian forces in 2023, particularly due to the use of drones.
At the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, a "drone revolution" occurred: commercial reconnaissance drones appeared in virtually every unit of both armies. In 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, followed by the Russian army, received thousands of kamikaze drones.
At the end of that year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine plans to produce one million drones in 2024, as well as at least 10,000 medium and long-range strike drones.
In January 2025, during a meeting of the contact group on Ukraine at the German base "Ramstein," Volodymyr Zelensky announced "record plans" for drone production in Ukraine and the supply of UAVs to Kyiv from allies.
He did not specify how many drones are planned to be supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2025.