France, July 15 -- EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a "drone deal" with Ukraine to boost joint production of the key battlefield technology.

The announcement formalised EU-Ukraine drone partnership, building on earlier disbursements under the Ukraine Support Loan.

"This deal will bring together Ukrainian ingenuity and Europe's industrial scale," von der Leyen said in Kyiv, after receiving an award from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has already signed similar deals with some individual EU countries and Gulf nations looking to tap into the expertise Kyiv has developed during more than four years of war with Russia. Blueprints

The deals are adapted to each country, but typically involve Kyiv providing blueprin...