OPINION: July 4 Was a Turning Point. Now Let’s Arm Ukraine to the Teeth

Despite the US pause on air defense and other weapons for Ukraine, it is obvious to even the most reluctant to help Kyiv that drones are the future and a partnership with Ukraine is crucial.

Originally published at Kyiv Post on Jul 7, 2025

Bill Cole · Kyiv Post

While Americans were watching fireworks this Independence Day, Ukrainians were dodging drones and missiles. But in the midst of that grim contrast, something important happened. A pivotal phone call between President Trump and President Zelensky may offer a breakthrough the world desperately needs.

According to sources familiar with the call, the two leaders discussed the idea of a US-Ukraine drone partnership. For those of us who have been working for months to bring clarity, urgency, and realism to Washington’s understanding of this war, that single moment matters more than people may realize. It finally creates a path to advance the part of our strategy that has long been stalled: let’s arm Ukraine to the teeth.

The Peace Through Strength Institute’s Three Pillar Plan – Partnership, Arm Them to the Teeth, and Economic Leverage through Sanctions – was introduced in April of this year. Since then, Pillar 1, a formal strategic partnership with Ukraine, was successfully initiated through the mineral deal between the US and Ukraine. That deal laid the foundation. But let’s be clear: there will be no mineral sharing, no strategic benefit, if Ukraine is not secured.

That is why the addition of drones to the partnership – as of July 4 – is not just an evolution. It is the critical opportunity. The war has changed, and so must the partnership. A joint focus on drone warfare is now the most urgent and valuable dimension of US-Ukraine cooperation. It is the key to securing Ukraine and unlocking the full potential of the alliance.

Pillar 3, sanctions, has seen early progress with Senate Bill 1241 and House Bill 2548 introduced this spring. But both are currently stalled. They need to regain momentum. Congress must send a clear message that economic pressure will remain part of the long-term strategy to weaken Russia’s ability to wage war.

Our focus right now is on Pillar 2: Arm Ukraine to the Teeth.

Addressing the battlefield’s most urgent needs starts with scaling the drone ecosystem. This does not mean moving away from traditional support – Ukraine still needs more air defense systems, artillery shells, armored vehicles, and the training and logistics to sustain them. But we also need to rethink and reallocate. The war has dramatically changed, and so must our approach.

As I wrote in my April op-ed in Kyiv Post, “America’s Blind Spot in the Drone War: Why Ukraine Holds the Key to US AI Supremacy,” the battlefield has evolved. Drones now dominate the front lines. Eighty to ninety percent of casualties are caused by drones. In June, I followed up with “ Operation Spiderweb Is the Future of War – and America Isn’t Ready,” a real-world example of how a few hundred thousand dollars’ worth of Ukrainian FPV drones destroyed over seven billion dollars in Russian aircraft. These were not speculative theories. They were battlefield facts – and they laid out a roadmap for what works.

That is why President Trump’s July 4 call with President Zelensky matters. It was the first time the idea of a drone partnership was raised directly between the two leaders. That is not a footnote. That is a strategic breakthrough.

There are already American efforts that could grow alongside this vision. Congressman Pat Harrigan’s SkyFoundry is designed to support drone innovation and manufacturing at scale inside the United States. President Trump’s drone dominance executive order creates an even broader platform. It could launch programs designed to learn from Ukraine and accelerate American superiority in drone warfare during his term. Ukraine’s frontline experience should become part of both of these initiatives, and we are actively working to help make that happen.

In parallel, there are several private sector manufacturing efforts now underway across Europe, some in partnership with American companies. These may eventually become part of the broader production and supply ecosystem. But they will take time. Ukraine’s front line needs help now, not in 6 or 12 months. That is why we must act with urgency to accelerate this drone partnership.

This is the moment to reframe Pillar 2 – not as a repetition of past aid packages, but as a deliberate, data-informed strategy to give Ukraine what it needs most. Drones. Drone operators. Jammers. Decoys. Interceptors. Front-line logistics to outmatch Russia’s drone onslaught. That is how we get impact. That is how we push toward victory. And that is how we deliver on the President Trump’s vision of American drone dominance.

The drone war is here. If we are serious about winning, we must learn from those already fighting it – and arm them to the teeth.