--- title: "\"Ball in the US Court\": Palisa Says Where the Drone Deal with Washington Stands" description: "Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa announced that the Drone Deal with the US has moved to the stage of competitive selection and testing of Ukrainian drones by the American side." date: 2026-08-29T11:28:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/drone-deal-ukraine-us-ball-in-us-court-en tags: [drone-deal, ukraine-usa, drones, defense-cooperation, pavlo-palytsa] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Ball in the US Court": Palisa Says Where the Drone Deal with Washington Stands ![Ukrainian drones on a warehouse floor: context of the Drone Deal agreement with the US](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/29/drone-deal-ukraina-ssha-myal-na-pole-ssha/drone-deal-ukraina-ssha-myal-na-pole-ssha-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The Drone Deal with the US has moved to the stage where the American side is selecting and testing Ukrainian drones. - Rustem Umerov is responsible for this direction in Ukraine; the initiative is now "in the court of the US," according to Palisa. - The selection of samples is being conducted on a competitive basis among Ukrainian manufacturers. - Zelenskyy previously spoke about building a large drone production factory in the US. - Ukraine has already concluded nine Drone Deal agreements, with around 15 more contracts in progress. The Ukraine–United States cooperation agreement in the field of unmanned systems, known as the Drone Deal, has moved to the practical stage: it is now the American side that must decide which specific Ukrainian drones it is interested in testing on its own territory. This was stated by Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during a meeting with journalists, as reported by RBC-Ukraine and Interfax. ### Person in Charge and Current Stage According to Palisa, Rustem Umerov is responsible for implementing the Drone Deal on the Ukrainian side. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized that the process has now effectively shifted to the plane of American decisions: "At present, as far as I am aware given my involvement in the process, the ball is in the court of the United States." Thus, Kyiv considers that it has fulfilled its part of the agreement by handing Washington the tools to select the samples. ### Competitive Selection and Testing of Samples In Palisa's words, the Ukrainian side has given the Americans the opportunity to select the types of drones they are interested in on a competitive basis. Various manufacturers have been given the chance to submit their samples to the United States, where they undergo testing. "They were given the opportunity to select certain types of drones they are interested in on a competitive basis. They are testing them," he explained. After the trials, the American side is to decide which specific unmanned aerial vehicles will fall within the scope of the cooperation. ### Factory in the US and Strategic Context The context of the agreement was outlined earlier: at the end of July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Kyiv and Washington were close to concluding the Drone Deal. According to him, the document provides for cooperation in the production of drones, as well as the construction of a large factory on US territory. This turns the deal from a simple supply of equipment into a long-term production partnership that could also affect the US defense industry market. ### Broader: A Network of International Drone Deals The agreement with the United States is not an isolated case. As noted in the provided materials, Ukraine has already concluded nine agreements in the Drone Deal format, with around 15 more international contracts in progress. In parallel, according to business media, the European Union is developing the initiative in a similar format, indicating the formation of an entire network of bilateral and multilateral partnerships around Ukrainian drone production. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["Ball in the US Court": Zelenskyy's Team Explains Where the Drone Deal Stands](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/m-yach-botsi-ssha-zelenskogo-rozpovili-komu-1788002781.html) - Заявления П. Палисы об этапе отбора/тестирования и ответственности Р. Умерова. - [EU Launches Drone Deal Initiative with Ukraine and Allocates Another Billion Euros for Drones](https://delo.ua/ru/news/es-zapuskaet-s-ukrainoi-iniciativu-drone-deal-i-vydelyaet-eshhe-milliard-evro-na-drony-469179/) - Использован как параллельный контекст (ЕС-трек); детали не раскрывались сверх заголовка. - [Palisa on the Drone Deal with the US: the ball is now in their court](https://ru.interfax.com.ua/news/political/1197008.html) - Совпадает с версией РБК: инициатива перешла к американской стороне. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What stage is the Drone Deal with the US at now? **A:** According to Pavlo Palisa, the process has moved to the stage where the American side is selecting and testing Ukrainian drones; the initiative is effectively "in the court of the US." ### Q: Who is responsible for this direction in Ukraine? **A:** The Deputy Head of the Office of the President indicated that the responsible person is Rustem Umerov. ### Q: How do the Americans choose the drones? **A:** On a competitive basis: Ukrainian manufacturers can submit samples to the US, where they undergo testing, after which Washington decides which unmanned aerial vehicles it is interested in. ### Q: What does the agreement provide for, according to Zelenskyy? **A:** Cooperation in the field of drone production and the construction of a large factory on US territory. ### Q: How many Drone Deal agreements have been concluded so far? **A:** Ukraine has concluded nine agreements in this format, with around 15 more international contracts in progress.