Ukraine's ex-defense minister offers to build US 'drone army' in exchange for Patriot missiles

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's youngest-ever defense minister, is moving to establish a defense technology fund that would draw Western capital into advanced weapons development — and has offered the United States a deal: provide Patriot missiles, and he will help build America a "drone army" using battlefield expertise accumulated during the war.

Fedorov is in talks with venture capital firms, retail investors and US technology companies about raising money for the fund, the Financial Times reported Sunday.

Unlike conventional venture funds that invest in established defense companies, the fund Fedorov envisions would go further — spinning up new companies from scratch to develop weapons when needed. The plan is to channel Western capital into Ukrainian defense startups while also directly founding firms to develop technologies required for the war against Russia.

"This is different from a traditional venture fund," Fedorov said. "We are writing a new history of war."

Priority investment targets include combat robots, low-cost high-speed interceptor drones and cheap AI-guided missiles. The high-speed interceptor drones, he said, are specifically intended to shoot down the jet-propelled attack drones Russia has recently begun deploying.

Fedorov said strengthening Ukraine's long-range strike capability against Russian territory is the most realistic way to pressure Vladimir Putin into ending the war.

"We need more drones, cheaper missiles and missiles equipped with AI," he said. "There is no other way to have any conversation with Putin."

He also pitched investors on Ukraine's potential role as a live testing ground for cutting-edge weapons if the war drags on, arguing that battlefield experience and data gathered in actual combat could be fed directly into weapons development.

For the United States, Fedorov proposed a technology-for-missiles swap. "If you provide Patriot missiles to help Ukraine get through this winter, we will gladly help the US build a drone army," he said.

Ukraine has struggled to maintain its air defenses amid a shortage of Patriot missiles as Russian missile and drone strikes have intensified in recent months.

Fedorov, 35, led Ukraine's drone development program as the country's youngest defense minister in history. He was dismissed last month, just six months into the role, after clashing with military leadership over efforts to reform the munitions procurement system.

His dismissal triggered large-scale protests and became a political liability for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Since leaving office, Fedorov has taken an increasingly critical stance toward the Zelensky government, including calling for elections to be held.