Kyiv — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held talks on May 4 about a European support loan that will help fund defence cooperation, including production of drones.
The leaders discussed the timeline for the loan’s first tranche, which Zelenskyy said will be allocated to co‑production of drones. Both sides agreed to press ahead with a Drone Deal and reviewed the framework for broader security cooperation between Ukraine and the EU. Zelenskyy said the meeting was an important step toward building the necessary security infrastructure and that he had assigned follow‑up tasks to Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, and the presidential diplomatic team.
Earlier on Monday, Moscow authorities reported that Russian air defences had intercepted two drones bound for the city. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on the social platform Max that the air defence forces repelled the attack and first responders were working at the crash sites. He also reported one drone had struck a residential building in west Moscow; no casualties were reported.
Also in Yerevan, Zelenskyy met United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Zelenskyy praised the UK for actions against Russia’s so‑called shadow fleet and for ongoing training missions for Ukrainian forces, saying those measures have hurt the Russian economy and strengthened Ukraine’s defence capacity.
Zelenskyy said the first day of meetings in Armenia focused on coordination with European partners ahead of the summit. He set out three main objectives: accelerate efforts to bring the war to a dignified end, intensify diplomatic pressure on Russia, and maintain sustained international support until the conflict is resolved. He reiterated that Russia must end the war and thanked partners who continue to back Ukraine.
