Ukraine Offers Joint-Production of Drone Boats to the Philippines

Ukraine has proposed an agreement with the Philippines that includes joint production of naval drone boats.

A deal is expected to be signed by October, with a high-level Ukrainian delegation—led by Ministry of Defense officials—set to travel to Manila for negotiations with Philippine counterparts.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the Philippines Yulia Fediv was quoted as saying by Naval News that a draft has already been submitted to the Philippines’ Department of National Defense, and Ukraine is awaiting Manila’s official response.

“Right now, Ukraine is developing different models and proposals (of drones) for countries all over the world, how we can co-produce and how we can exchange our knowledge and technologies,” she added.

Ukraine recently appointed its first non-resident defense attaché to the Philippines, Colonel Andriy Bilensky, who last week visited Philippine military units including the Air Force, Army, and Navy headquarters in Manila. Talks during his visit focused on cooperation in defense technology, training, and capability development.

Philippine interest in Ukrainian naval drones could rise as tensions with China in the South China Sea continue. Disputes over territorial claims and maritime borders have led to repeated encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels. Naval drones are among Ukraine’s big successes in the war against Russia having destroyed helicopters, aircraft and ships, making them a good option for the Philippines.

The move also comes after the Southeast Asian country signed a memorandum of understanding with Lithuania in July, establishing a new security alliance covering cybersecurity, ammunition production, defense industry cooperation, and maritime security. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakaliene at the time warned of an emerging “authoritarian axis” of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, urging democratic states to coordinate their responses.