Ukraine and Latvia are creating a Coalition of Drones and Electronic Warfare, which is open for joining by other allies, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
It noted that Latvia initiated the creation of the coalition. This happened during a meeting between its Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov in December 2023.
According to Sprūds, this initiative will help the Ukrainian military in the war, where the use of drones has become an important element of combat operations.
"Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the strategic value and effectiveness of drones in combat. We must contribute to Ukraine's advantage on the battlefield and demonstrate long-term support for Ukraine. Therefore, we set ourselves high goals," said Sprūds.
In preparation for the meeting in Ramstein, Deputy Minister of Defence for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation Kateryna Chernohorenko presented Ukraine's need for unmanned systems, electronic warfare and critical infrastructure protection technologies to the representatives of 13 participating countries.
"Technology, not people, should fight. The drone coalition will be another step towards realising this idea. It will save many lives. Strengthening and developing the production of unmanned systems will transform the army and make the latest technologies a reality today. I would like to invite nations to develop software solutions that will create the future of this sector," she said.
She added that the success of Ukrainian defenders depends on an asymmetric response to the enemy.
Ukrainian production is already showing results, with more than 70 samples of unmanned aerial vehicles legalised and operating on the front line. And now Ukraine needs help to scale up.
The partner countries have expressed their support and understanding of the feasibility of the coalition. They will announce their next steps on 23 January during a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.