Ukrainian Drones & Romania: EU Funds New Defense Deals

0:00On April 1st, Ukrainian drone makers are linking up with Romanian defense officials in Bucharest this week to hash out joint production deals. They're tapping into the European Union's Fresh Rearmament Fund, called SAFE, which is pumping serious cash into defenses. Romania shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine and is dealt with drones crossing into its airspace plus debris dropping on its soil. Since Russia hit those ports across the Danube, the EU is handing Romania 16.6 billion euros, about 19.2 billion dollars, with the program kicking off later this year. Defense Minister Rado Maruda wants to allocate 200 million euros specifically for these drone projects. He met Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries, Sergei Boyev, and laid out plans to build a dedicated team. 15 Ukrainian companies are sticking around for more talks in the coming days, with a contract deadline set for the end of May. Earlier this month, the Romanian and Ukrainian presidents signed a statement of intent to make this happen right there in Romania.

1:05These moves signal deeper NATO and EU teamwork, bolstering frontline defenses without missing a bead, world news, powered by AI. This is Global News Today.