Ukraine and Iceland are working on a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of unmanned systems. The two sides have agreed to accelerate preparations for signing the so-called Drone Deal, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga announced after a visit to Reykjavik.
Sibiga held talks with his Icelandic counterpart Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir during his first bilateral visit to Iceland. The visit took place on the way to the high-level week of the UN General Assembly.
According to the Ukrainian side, the ministers discussed the implementation of agreements reached during previous visits of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk to Iceland.
“We agreed to accelerate preparations for the signing of the Drone Deal between our countries“, Sibiga reported.
Details of the future agreement – including its financial parameters, specific types of unmanned systems and the deadline for signing – have not yet been announced. The Icelandic government has also not publicly announced such parameters. Local publication Morgunblaðið notes that Reykjavik's official statement about the meeting does not mention a specific agreement on drones at all.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has suggested that Kiev share the experience gained during the war in protecting critical infrastructure. The parties also discussed deepening practical cooperation between Ukraine and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
Among other topics of the meeting were the situation in Ukraine, Russian attacks, security in the Black Sea and efforts to achieve peace.
The Icelandic side, for its part, reports that the ministers discussed continued support for Ukraine's defense, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance. Special attention was paid to Kiev's need for additional air defense and energy support before winter.
Iceland has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, although the country does not have its own standing army. Reykjavik is involved in financial and international initiatives to support Ukrainian defense, humanitarian needs, and the country's reconstruction.
The upcoming agreement on unmanned systems would expand bilateral cooperation in an area in which Ukraine gained significant practical experience during the war.