Latvia to send homemade drones to Ukraine: Ambassador

Photo: it became known about Latvia's new initiative to transfer drones of its own production to Ukraine (Getty Images)

Latvia plans to provide Ukraine with domestically produced drones. The same applies to radar defense systems, announced the Ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia, Anatolii Kutsevol.

"We never forget that Latvia has taken on the coordination within the coalition for drones for Ukraine. This also concerns military-technical cooperation between Ukrainian and Latvian businesses. I believe we will have more media reports over time about the transfer of drones and radar defense systems produced in Latvia to Ukraine," he said.

According to the ambassador, the coalition for 155mm shells is also developing, "there are other areas of cooperation, but they cannot be named from a security standpoint."

Moreover, according to Kutsevol, Ukraine is grateful to Latvia for accepting wounded soldiers.

"The minimum program is to provide the same number of soldiers for treatment as before. But there is an agreement, including with the Minister of Health, that we are looking for opportunities to increase this number. Now we are discussing whether it would be possible to accept from 150 to 200 Ukrainian military personnel per year," he added.

In summary, the ambassador noted that "Latvia supports Ukraine to the maximum extent in all its endeavors."

Latvia's assistance to Ukraine

At the end of April, another package of assistance to Ukraine from Latvia was announced. In particular, the Latvian government approved a new comprehensive assistance package to Ukraine in 2024. The country will provide almost 10 million euros for the reconstruction of Ukraine and support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As the ambassador added, Ukraine is extremely grateful for anti-aircraft missile systems, short-range air defense systems, drones, and electronic warfare equipment.

It is worth noting that in March, Latvia decided to join the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine. It came after EU countries were able to gather 1 million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine, which were promised by March 2024.