Bucharest: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Romanian counterpart, Nicusor Dan, announced on Thursday an agreement between their two countries to jointly produce military drones. The two sides signed an agreement in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, stipulating that the drones will be manufactured in Romania using Ukrainian technical expertise. The project will be supported by the European Defence Fund.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Romanian president noted that the "historical mistrust" that had prevailed between the two countries has dissipated since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine more than four years ago. For his part, Zelensky pledged to strengthen the protection of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, particularly given Bucharest's long-standing concerns about the situation of this minority.

Earlier in the day, during his visit to Romania, Zelensky indicated that Ukraine was awaiting White House approval of a significant drone production agreement, which Kyiv proposed last year.