Romania is moving to set up joint production of defensive drones with Ukraine for use by NATO and EU allies, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu told Reuters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The initiative underscores growing concerns among NATO’s eastern flank countries about Russian incursions into allied airspace and the need to bolster air defenses. 

The EU has also floated the idea of a “drone wall” to protect the region, while Kyiv is seeking new defense partnerships to strengthen ties with allies.

“We believe it is strategic for the eastern flank to be better protected, especially in air defence,” Toiu said. “We believe in our capacity to make it a reality fast.”

Discussions with Ukraine began before September 2025 airspace violations that saw NATO jets shoot down Russian drones over Poland and Romanian F-16s track a Geran drone for 50 minutes before it returned to Ukrainian airspace.

The move follows Ukraine’s relaxation of restrictions on exporting its domestically developed weapons, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promoted at the UN as battlefield-tested systems valuable to partners.