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Ukraine Rome Conference delivers concrete military support to Kyiv: Thousands of British air defense missiles, defense production in US, and interceptor drones

Ukraine’s allies prepare real countermeasures against Russian terror at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. On 10–11 July in Italy, the Ukraine Recovery Conference brought together a broad and high-level international delegation of over 6,000 to 8,000 participants from around 70 countries and 100 government delegations.

The conference took place amid an escalation of Russian attacks on Ukraine. Recently, Moscow launched over 700 drones in a single night, targeting Ukrainian cities. Therefore, the focus of the conference extended beyond reconstruction and included defense, said Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa.

Key outcomes of bilateral meetings in Rome:

  • Patriot Systems. Palisa says a dialogue with the US regarding the purchase and transfer of ten air defense systems to Ukraine is ongoing, including at the presidential level. Germany is already prepared to fund two systems, and Norway another one. Once the manufacturer gives formal confirmation, other European partners are expected to join as well.
  • Joint defense production. Ukraine discussed cooperation and investment in scaling up domestic drone production with the prime ministers of Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands, as well as with the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
  • Interceptor drones. According to Palisa, this topic came up in nearly every meeting as “everyone understands the importance of technological solutions in modern warfare.” Ukraine is working to attract large investments to boost the production scale.
  • The UK–Ukraine agreement. At the conference, Britain and Ukraine signed a 19-year agreement that unlocks financing for over 5,000 Thales missiles for air defense systems.
  • Increased payments for Ukrainian soldiers. Palisa says EU leaders are responding positively to this matter. Ukraine will seek solutions together. 

Not all decisions and agreements were announced publicly. Some remained classified due to the risk that Russia could exploit this information.

Also, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference, the “Coalition of the Willing” met. Around 30 key countries and partners participated, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who joined remotely via video.

For the first time, US representatives took part: Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg, and Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal. They are co-authors of the bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 (S.1241), which aims to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.

Kyiv to set up gunpowder production in US after Rome recovery conference

The main idea of the bill is to impose 500% tariffs on imports into the US from countries that continue to purchase Russian energy resources, such as oil, gas, uranium, and other raw materials. The goal is to economically isolate Russia and force countries around the world to stop supporting its war machine.

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Kyiv to set up gunpowder production in US after Rome recovery conference

Kyiv will manufacture gunpowder on US soil. On 11 July, Ukraine signed a relevant deal with its American counterparts during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Oleksandr Kamyshin, presidential advisor, has announced, UkrInform reports.

On 10-11 July, Italy hosted the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference. The event was dedicated to the country’s recovery and long-term reconstruction. Rome gathered international organisations, businesses, and civil society representatives for Ukraine’s future.

Kamyshyn has explained that the company involved in the production has already been engaged in projects with Ukraine. He says such cooperation seemed “an unattainable goal just two years ago.”

“Now we’re entering a systematic, proper, and ongoing format of joint work,” he adds.

Kamyshin has also revealed more than five defense-related deals, some classified as public and others classified. Intergovernmental agreements, a memorandum between Ukraine’s Council of Arms Manufacturers and the Italian Association of Arms Manufacturers, and company-to-company deals are among them.

One of the agreements was signed by US General Keith Kellogg, a special envoy of US President Donald Trump.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support

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