The European Union and Ukraine have signed an agreement to jointly ramp up the production of drones, a rapidly evolving technology that has changed the face of modern warfare. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the deal in Kyiv on Wednesday, Euronews reports.

The initiative is intended to combine the EU’s industrial base with Ukraine’s advanced, world-class expertise gained over more than four years of war against Russian troops.

Drones have played a key role in the fighting, helping Kyiv offset manpower shortages and carry out long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, triggering a fuel crisis in Russia.

"We produce 10 million drones a year — 10 million. And it will be 20 million," Zelenskyy said during a ceremony marking Ukrainian Statehood Day on Mykhailivska Square in the capital.

"For the first time, Ukraine has radically changed the face of the battlefield," he added.

Funding will come from two EU sources: the €90 billion loan support program for Ukraine and about €10 billion that still remains under the SAFE defense program.

Until now, several EU countries had signed separate agreements with Ukraine to benefit from its technological developments. The agreement approved on Wednesday takes the partnership to a new level, making it accessible to all 27 member states.

"In Europe, we already have enormous technological and industrial potential that can be mobilized. And we have secure production sites that make it possible to scale up output," von der Leyen said in her speech.

"But we do not have the combat experience and practical knowledge that Ukraine has developed. That is why I say we need to combine our strengths. Together, we can establish joint production," the European Commission president added.

An important new feature is the ability to produce and deploy drones across the bloc, rather than in Ukraine, in order to protect them from Russian strikes.

Storage will be brief because of the rapid pace of development in this technology. After about two to three months, the drones will be transferred to Ukraine or to those member states interested in strengthening their capabilities, primarily on the EU’s eastern flank.

It is still unclear how Moscow will react to this plan, as its actions toward EU countries are becoming increasingly provocative.

At the second stage, the European Commission intends to extend its arrangements with Ukraine to the production of ballistic and missile defense systems, but that remains a prospect for the distant future. "Now is the time to invest in Ukraine, invest in Europe," von der Leyen said, "and invest in our common security and common future.