Zelensky Announces 10 Weapons Export Centers in Europe, Drone Production Launch in Germany

Ukraine will open 10 weapons export centers across Europe by the end of 2026 and begin producing Ukrainian-made drones in Germany later this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during a meeting with students in Kyiv on Saturday.

Speaking at the Kyiv Aviation Institute during events marking the 120th anniversary of aircraft designer Oleh Antonov’s birth, Zelensky outlined additional details of the long-awaited arms exports that could bring Ukrainian arms production to foreign markets and potentially become a new source of revenue for Ukraine’s wartime economy. 

Ukraine’s military production is now on par with the country’s other powerhouse industry, agriculture – comprising 7% of Ukraine’s GDP, according to July 2025 estimates published by the Kyiv School of Economics Institute. The sector reached $10 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $15 billion in 2025, the analysts estimated. 

An estimated $30-35 billion in existing production capacity remains unused due to insufficient domestic demand. With new investment projects, total military production capacity could expand to as much as $50 billion by 2028, they added. 

Ukraine to open 10 export centers across Europe in 2026

Zelensky said the government plans to establish 10 export centers in European countries by the end of 2026, specifically in the Baltic and Northern European states. 

“Today we are opening up exports. In Europe in 2026 there will be 10 export centers. These are the Baltic countries and the countries of Northern Europe. In 2026, 10 representative offices will operate,” Zelensky told the audience, without providing further details.

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Ukrainian drone production to begin in Germany this month

Zelensky also announced that production of Ukrainian drones will begin in Germany in mid-February, and the production lines are already working in the UK. 

“This is a [production] line that is already working. The production lines are already operating in the UK. These are Ukrainian technologies,” he said. 

According to the president, Ukraine’s aviation sector – particularly unmanned systems – is attractive to foreign investors.

Zelensky said that around 450 companies are currently producing drones in Ukraine, 40 to 50 of which are considered industry leaders. 

“Everyone wants to invest,” he added, without providing further detail about the financial stance of the companies or the size of potential investments. 

Ukraine’s president believes that 2026 will be “the year of investment in our [Ukrainian] technologies,” with drones at the center of that push.

“First of all, drones. This is a big industry, a new industry. According to the finances that came into Ukraine during the war, this is the largest industry that exists in Ukraine,” he said, without citing which figures he was referring to. 

Zelensky sees drones as backbone of Europe’s future security

In his remarks to the Kyiv Aviation Institute students, Zelensky linked the expansion of Ukrainian drone production to European security more broadly.

“Today, Europe’s security is built on technologies and drones,” he said, noting that several multinational projects are underway which will primarily be anchored to Ukrainian technology and specialists.

Ukraine’s military export limitations restrict its defense industry

Ukraine’s fast-growing defense industry has been constrained by long-standing limits on military exports, leaving many manufacturers dependent almost exclusively on state orders during wartime, MITS Capital co-founder Perry Boyle told Kyiv Post in an interview in September 2025. 

While Ukrainian law does not formally ban arms exports, regulatory bodies restrict licenses and permits for exporting physical products, sharing software or information abroad, or providing services to foreign customers – with violations of these rules bearing criminal liability. 

Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, the government has yet to finalize a comprehensive policy on military exports, forcing most producers to rely on state procurement financed by a budget that faces recurring liquidity gaps. 

Ukraine spends nearly all its domestic revenue on defense but still faces multibillion-dollar shortfalls, making private capital critical to the sector’s survival. 

Without access to exports, Boyle warned, there is a risk that Ukrainian defense innovators will relocate to countries with fewer restrictions – weakening Kyiv’s ability to build a sustainable domestic defense industry despite growing international demand for its battlefield-tested technologies.