The member countries of the International Drone Coalition will allocate €1.8 billion for drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine this year.
This was announced by the Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov.
The allocation of 1.8 billion euros for drones for the Armed Forces was announced by partners from Latvia, which, together with the United Kingdom, leads the coalition. According to Umerov, this decision will allow Ukraine to strengthen its technological advantage on the battlefield and destroy the Russian enemy more effectively.
‘On 31 October, the first meeting of the coalition's steering group, which brings together 17 countries, took place in Riga: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine,’ the Defence Minister said in a statement.
Latvia will allocate €20 million for the drone coalition this year: at least €10 million for purchases from the domestic industry and €5 million for joint purchases within the coalition.
In addition, an agreement was signed with Latvian partners to train the Ukrainian military in a drone piloting programme.
‘Drones are the weapons of the future that are already helping Ukraine maintain its defence and save the lives of our defenders. I am grateful to our partners for their contribution to Ukraine's victory!’ the Defence Minister stressed.