Finland and Ukraine have signed three defence industry cooperation documents covering drones, maritime unmanned systems and ground robots, as Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the countries were close to completing a wider agreement on drone cooperation.
The agreements were signed during Stubb’s visit to Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and attended events around Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Seven Finnish technology and defence companies joined the delegation.
Stubb said Finland expects to direct most of the drone output linked to the planned cooperation towards Ukraine.
“I think 90 per cent of Finland’s drone production will go to Ukraine, while 10 per cent of production will remain in Finland,” Stubb said in Kyiv.
He described cooperation across land, air, maritime, cyber and space capabilities. Finland and Ukraine are also working at government level to complete what Stubb called a “Drone Deal”.
The three company agreements signed in Kyiv cover the development and production of drones in Finland for Ukraine and European customers, maritime unmanned systems and a production facility for unmanned ground robotic systems, according to the Ukrainian president’s office.
Finnish companies Patria, Insta and Boomeranger signed cooperation documents with Ukrainian partners. Nokia, ICEYE, Sensofusion and NestAI also took part in the Finnish business delegation.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s experience from more than four years of full-scale war would form part of the cooperation with Finnish technology companies.
“From the very beginning of this war, you have been with us,” Zelenskyy said at a defence industry roundtable. He said cooperation had progressed from agreements towards joint production.
One of the projects involves Finnish defence group Patria and Ukrainian drone producer Center of Unmanned Technologies, known as General Cherry.
The companies signed a letter of intent on Sunday. Patria said it plans to start drone production in Finland and work with General Cherry on unmanned systems for European defence requirements.
General Cherry develops and produces FPV strike drones, fibre-optic-controlled drones, drones designed to intercept aerial targets and fixed-wing unmanned aircraft.
Patria is 50.1 per cent owned by the Finnish state, with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace holding the remaining shares.
The cooperation would also give Finland access to Ukrainian knowledge gained from operating and adapting drones during the war.
The agreement adds to a series of Finnish-Ukrainian industrial projects. Finnish contract design and manufacturing company Innokas signed a letter of intent with Ukrainian drone developer Airlogix earlier last week to establish drone production in Finland.
Stubb said the broader relationship works in both directions. Finland aims to support Ukraine’s defence requirements in the short term while gaining knowledge from Ukraine’s experience of modern warfare.
“Today’s meeting is truly mutually beneficial,” Stubb said at the Kyiv roundtable. “In the short term, we will be able to help you as much as we can, while in the long term, you will likewise help us.”
HT