September 9, 2025
MANILA – Negotiations for a defense cooperation agreement between the Philippines and Ukraine are underway, Yuliia Fediv, Kyiv’s ambassador to Manila, revealed to the Inquirer on Monday.
Such a pact will pave the way for Ukraine’s sharing of its drone technological capabilities with the Philippines, which is scrambling to develop such a capability that would level the playing field for countries facing adversaries with superior military power.
Fediv said that Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has submitted an initial draft for the agreement around “April or May.”
“Ukrainian government, in the name of the Ministry of Defense, has already sent a draft agreement on defense to the Department of National Defense of the Philippines,” Fediv said in an interview at the Ukrainian Embassy in Makati City.
“So far, the Philippines side is open for cooperation,” she added.
Fediv also said Col. Andrii Bilenkyi, Ukraine’s non-resident defense attaché to the Philippines, already had a meeting with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. last month.
“They had a really fruitful conversation on other future steps, including the signature of the cooperation agreement in the defense sector,” Fediv said of Teodoro and Bilenkyi.
Inquirer reached the DND for comment.
The envoy expressed hopes that both countries would agree on the draft of the agreement by the end of the year.
Fediv also noted that representatives from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense will also attend the Drone Warfare Summit in Zambales on Oct. 27 to 29, and she said this convention could be an opportunity for both sides to finalize the agreement.
Ukraine’s domestically produced drones are battle-tested and have proved effective in inflicting damage to a number of Russian warships and naval assets since the war broke out.
In its latest offensive against the Russian Navy, Ukraine used an aerial drone to strike and damage a Buyan-M-class corvette operating in the Sea of Azov, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said on Aug. 29.
On March 5 last year, the country’s unmanned surface vessels (USV) Magura V5 also sank Russian patrol ship Sergei Kotov off the coast of Cape Takil in southeastern Crimea, according to HUR.
Teodoro previously said that in the absence of submarines, the country could bank on “alternate or substitute capabilities,” and maritime experts said USV could be an alternative to submersible warships.
READ: Teodoro: Submarine substitutes ‘will do’ for now in PH EEZ operations
Filipino engineers are now developing a USV prototype, which was showcased in the Philippine Navy’s first-ever Self Reliance Defense Posture summit held in July.
READ: Filipino engineers develop prototype of suicide drone boat
Fediv said Ukraine “is open to exchange the knowledge we have and reciprocally be a reliable partner” to Manila when it comes to drone capabilities as it faces continuous Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
“What we see now, the threat of war is really high and it’s everywhere,” Fediv said.
“That’s why we as middle countries, who are facing asymmetric enemies in other parts of the world, need to be more united and we need to be more creative and innovative in order to preserve other countries’ independence and territorial integrity,” she said.