Fedorov ready to help US build "drone army" in exchange for Patriot missiles
"I am ready to make such an exchange," he said.
At the same time, Fedorov declined to comment on whether he would meet in Washington with any representatives of US President Donald Trump's administration.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources, SpaceX owner Elon Musk previously told Fedorov he was ready to allow Ukraine to use drones equipped with the Starlink satellite communications system beyond its borders to strike targets in Russia.
The newspaper's sources said Musk emphasized that such a decision would be political and should be made by the White House. Fedorov declined to comment on his conversations with Musk.
Separately, the former minister spoke about his plans for international advisory work. Commenting on his agreement to become an adviser to Italy's defense minister, Fedorov said he would seek similar positions in other partner countries of Ukraine. He named France and the US among possible countries.
At the same time, Fedorov is working to attract US investment to a defense technology fund he has proposed. According to his plan, the fund should "write a new history" of the war against Russia by creating and managing companies that will develop new weapons.
To support this initiative, Fedorov is looking for partners among:
He said he is negotiating with a "large number" of potential investors interested in Ukrainian innovation.
At the same time, the former minister did not disclose details about his role in managing the future fund. He also did not specify whether he would receive any personal financial benefit from its activities.
Fedorov estimates that Russia is likely to drag out the war for another two to three years. That is why, he said, the fund should focus on developing the most advanced battlefield solutions. At the same time, investors are expected to gain access to the experience Ukraine has acquired during the war.
It should be noted that Fedorov's international activities became known several days ago. The former minister agreed to become an adviser to Italy's defense minister. In this role, he will help the country develop modern warfare technologies as part of joint projects in digitalization and defense tech.
It was also reported that Ukraine's new Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara revealed the composition of his team at the Defense Ministry and described the proposals he discussed with Fedorov himself.
Background
In July, Rubryka reported that the US military had received the first batch of Ukrainian F10 FPV drones. After completing the acceptance procedure, they will begin training, and successful tests could open the way to new contracts for thousands of drones.
The first batch was delivered under the first stage of the Gauntlet I program, part of the US defense program Drone Dominance Program, in which the F10 drone was selected for Pentagon procurement.
The F10 became the first Ukrainian drone officially approved for export to the US. F-Drones is participating in the program together with its US partner, UDD Tech Corp.
As Rubryka previously reported, the F10 drone was among the winners of the first phase of the US Drone Dominance program, under which the military tests various drone models and selects the best for procurement. Based on the test results, the Ukrainian drone scored 72.9 points out of 100 and ranked sixth.
It should be noted that the Ukrainian defense company "General Chereshnia" advanced to the second stage of the US Drone Dominance Program, run by the US Department of Defense.
The next stages will involve more complex tests.
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31 of August 2026
