US Embassy in Kyiv to buy iPhone 17s for Ukrainian officials

The US Embassy in Kyiv has signed a contract worth nearly $86,000 to purchase iPhone 17 smartphones for an unnamed Ukrainian government agency, RIA Novosti reports, citing a US government document.

The contract, worth about $86,000, was signed on September 10 with Kyiv-based company C.T. Line LLC — just one day after Apple unveiled its new iPhone 18 lineup.

The exact number of smartphones to be purchased was not disclosed. However, with the iPhone 17 starting at $899 in the US, the contract value is roughly equivalent to the cost of 95 devices.

The purchase was made under the international technical assistance programme of the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The documents specifically state that the smartphones are intended to be transferred to the Ukrainian side.