Latvia and Ukraine to Establish Joint Drone Production Near Russian Border

Latvia and Ukraine plan to establish a joint enterprise for the production of unmanned systems, which will be located near the Latvian border with Russia. This was announced by Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs in an interview with media outlets this weekend, as reported by «European Pravda» with reference to Delfi.

Kulbergs explained that the agreement on cooperation in the field of unmanned systems, signed in early June, specifically includes joint production. The Latvian government will make every effort to locate this enterprise near the border, as this region needs economic activity, investments, and job creation.

The Prime Minister also noted that new solutions for countering drones will be implemented along Latvia's borders with Belarus and Russia in July-August. These systems will allow for effective responses to aerial threats without the need to deploy aviation in every instance.

It is worth recalling that the agreement on UAV cooperation, known as the Drone Deal, was signed during the first meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andris Kulbergs. This meeting took place on the sidelines of the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit in Tallinn in early June. Andris Kulbergs stated that his goal is for Latvia to reach Ukraine's level in drone defense by the end of the year.