Trump Considering ‘Mega Deal’ To Exchange Drones, Weapons With Zelensky

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are on the cusp of striking a “mega deal” that would send battle-tested Ukrainian drones to the United States in exchange for Kyiv receiving another batch of weapons from Washington, the New York Post reported on Thursday.

Zelensky revealed the potential deal in a discussion with the Post, saying, “The people of America need this [drone] technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal.” If a deal is struck, Ukraine also promised to share information with the United States on what it has learned about modern warfare during the conflict with Russia, according to Zelensky.

“I think this is really a mega deal, a win-win, as they say,” he said.

The White House did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request to comment.

Throughout the war, Ukraine’s drone fleet has proved to be vital in defending the country from Russia’s aerial assaults. Kyiv’s drones have also been used to launch attacks on Russia. Last month, Ukraine smuggled 117 drones into Russia, which were used for a massive assault on Russian air bases, taking out 41 Russian aircraft, including roughly one-third of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, The Daily Wire previously reported.

The United States military has fallen behind its adversaries, including Russia and China, in producing drones and training troops to use them in battle, according to a report earlier this week from The New York Times. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that the United States must catch up on drone warfare technology and moved last week to rescind “restrictive policies” and “red tape” getting in the way “of American manufacturing and warfighter ingenuity.”

“So while our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones before us, we were mired in bureaucratic red tape. Not anymore,” Hegseth said in a video filmed alongside U.S. military members outside the Pentagon.

“In June, President Trump issued an executive order unleashing American drone dominance to bolster our drone industry and arm our warfighters because that’s what we’re all about,” he added.

Hegseth said that the move includes bolstering “the nascent U.S. drone manufacturing base by approving hundreds of American products for purchase by our military.”

Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance @DOGE pic.twitter.com/esaQtswwDb

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 11, 2025

Trump’s relationship with Zelensky has grown warmer in recent weeks after the Ukrainian president was blasted in the Oval Office in February for his continued requests for American assistance. Earlier this month, Trump vowed to send Ukraine more defensive weapons as Moscow ratchets up attacks on Ukrainian cities.

“They are getting hit very hard. … We’re gonna have to send more weapons,” Trump said, adding, “I’m disappointed, frankly, that President Putin hasn’t stopped.”