The amount is being spent on direct delivery of drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, investment in the production of Ukrainian drones, as well as replenishment of the drone coalition's common fund for international drone purchases.
The Drone Coalition has a common fund for the purchase of drones, within which the coalition regularly holds competitions to create innovative products. The fund is currently worth 83 million euros. The rest of the assistance is provided bilaterally by coalition members.
"The contribution of the member states of the drone coalition led by Latvia and Great Britain to Ukraine worth 1.8 billion euros will support the armed forces of Ukraine in the war against the aggressor," said Minister of Defense Andris Sprūds. "At the same time, the international drone coalition has become an important platform for the development of the drone industry, which will also strengthen our country's defense in the future."
As previously reported, on October 31, the first meeting of the management group of the international drone coalition in support of Ukraine took place in Rīga.
The Drone Coalition currently consists of Latvia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany and Sweden.
Latvia will allocate approximately 20 million euros to the drone coalition this year with the same amount promised in 2025. In addition, Latvia and Ukraine have concluded an agreement on the training of Ukrainian soldiers as drone pilots.
