Latvia recently delivered another 1,500 strike drones to Ukraine as part of the international “Drone Coalition.” Latvia’s Minister of Defense, Andris Sprūds, shared this news on the social network X, emphasizing the importance of this initiative.
Sprūds noted that “1,500 combat drones are already on their way to Ukraine.” Two Latvian companies plan to supply a total of 12,000 drones in the first half of the year as part of this international coalition.
Recall that on April 1, Latvia had already provided Ukraine with 1,500 combat drones to support the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
On March 24, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that partner countries of the “Drone Coalition” decided to allocate 20 million euros from a joint fund to purchase tactical-level ISR drones, which will be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Deliveries are expected to take place within three months.
Information about the “Drone Coalition” for Ukraine
On December 12, 2023, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov met for the first time with his Latvian counterpart Andris Sprūds in Kyiv. During the meeting, they discussed the creation of a “drone coalition,” which laid the foundation for further cooperation.
In mid-January 2024, Sprūds announced progress in forming a coalition of nearly 20 countries ready to provide “thousands” of new drones for the Ukrainian military.
According to information from Latvia’s Ministry of Defense, the coalition includes: Latvia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Luxembourg. Altogether, the participating countries have allocated over half a billion euros for drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Latvia plans to allocate at least 10 million euros annually to support this project, as stated on the Latvian Ministry of Defense website.
On July 10, the UK government announced that coalition member countries signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint fund of 45 million euros to support the Ukrainian military.