United to win: Ukraine receives first batch of drones from Latvia within Drone Coalition

The government of Latvia handed over the first batch of drones purchased as part of the "drone coalition" to Ukraine's armed forces and is already preparing the second.

The Minister of Defense of Latvia, Andris Spruds, stated this in an interview with ArmyInform.

"Latvia organized a batch of drones, which have already been sent. Now we are already collecting the second batch of drones, which should soon be sent to Ukraine," Spruds said.

According to him, Latvia, which, together with Britain, leads the "drone coalition," announced its commitment to contribute 20 million euros this year to implement this initiative.

"At the same time, when considering the countries that have already pledged their support, the amount totals over 500 million euros. To be precise, the member states and partners of the "drone coalition" have collectively committed 549 million euros. So, the next step is to use this funding effectively, and we're doing it on several levels," Spruds said.

He also confirmed that Latvia does not impose any restrictions on the use of weapons provided to Ukraine, noting that Russia is an aggressor country, and Ukraine has the right to self-defense.

"Therefore, when we provide our equipment, Ukraine can use it in accordance with its military-strategic calculations and needs," the Latvian Defense Minister emphasized.

It should be noted that within the IT coalition initiative, Latvia handed Ukraine communication equipment worth about 100,000 euros. This should provide brigades with communication at the tactical level.

For reference:

On January 18, the creation of the Coalition of Drones and Radio-Electronic Warfare was reported.

Latvia initiated the creation of the Coalition. The initiative was announced during a meeting between its Minister of Defense, Andris Spruds, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, in December 2023.

According to the Latvian minister, this initiative will help the Ukrainian military in the war, where drones have become an essential element of combat operations.

Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization, presented to the representatives of 13 participating countries Ukraine's need for unmanned systems, means of electronic warfare, and technologies that will protect critical infrastructure.

Representatives of Ukraine offered partners a form of drone coalition called "50—30—20", where:

• 50% of that tranche is the purchase of Ukrainian-made drones.
• Ukraine is ready to receive 30% in the form of ready-made drones from manufacturers of partner countries.
• 20%, the balance of 100, is money for joint ventures.

According to this plan, joint factories should appear in Ukraine.