“At this time, it is important to stand by Ukraine not only in words, but also in deeds. Latvia’s support for Ukraine has never been symbolic; we provide real support that helps strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” said Defense Minister Andris Sprūds.
The procurement within the framework of the Drone Coalition from the state budget funds allocated by the Ministry of Defence was approved, with up to 20 million euros earmarked for this year.
In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers agreed on what it termed “strategic investments of 10 million euros in the Ukrainian drone industry” with the aim of promoting cooperation between the Latvian and Ukrainian defense sectors and the implementation of joint projects.
It has already been reported that the total support of all member states of the Drone Coalition for Ukraine’s drone capabilities in 2024 reached 1.8 billion euros. Latvia allocated 20 million euros for the needs of the Drone Coalition in 2024 and delivered almost 5,000 drones to Ukraine last year.
It is expected that in 2025, Latvia’s military support to Ukraine will mainly consist of new procurements from Latvian industry, investment in international drone and other coalitions, military training of Ukrainian soldiers, and dual-purpose support to Ukraine from other ministries.
“Latvia will continue to provide support to Ukraine against Russian aggression until Ukraine’s victory,” the ministry asserted.
The international Drone Coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom currently includes 18 member states – Latvia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Norway.
A year ago, there were just eight founding members, as LSM reported at the time.
The goal of the Drone Coalition member states is to ensure the supply of drones, technological support and assistance in personnel training for Ukraine’s needs. The commitment includes supplying Ukraine with combat drones of various capacities, developed in accordance with the requirements set by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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