Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has proposed directing part of Ukraine’s annual financial assistance towards joint drone production in Lithuania.
Under his plan, the drones would be assembled at Lithuanian facilities using Ukrainian technology and then handed over to the Ukrainian military, Delfi reports.
The head of state said this model would help develop Lithuania’s defence industry, create new jobs and reduce production costs.
Lithuania allocates more than 0.25% of GDP each year to support Ukraine, amounting to over €230 million. The president proposes using a significant share of that sum specifically for drone production. Nauseda stressed that purchasing and manufacturing equipment in large volumes would boost the country’s competitiveness in the arms market.
At the same time, the Lithuanian leader criticised the slow pace of the project’s implementation. Despite the fact that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have already signed two co-operation agreements, mass production of drones in Lithuania has still not begun. Nauseda acknowledged that the delays are caused not only by lengthy licensing procedures in Ukraine, but also by procrastination on the Lithuanian side.
He said the Ukrainian side expects Lithuania to identify specific manufacturing companies and set out clear order volumes that are large enough to make operations efficient.