Finland to produce drones for Ukraine and Europe

Ukrainian and Finnish companies have signed agreements to develop and produce drones in Finland to supply both the Ukrainian military and European markets.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the agreements on Sunday, August 23, after a roundtable meeting in Kyiv with Finnish President Alexander Stubb focused on cooperation between defense and industry.

"Today we are taking another step towards deepening our cooperation, combining Ukrainian combat experience with Finnish technologies," Zelensky wrote on Facebook.

According to the president, the newly signed documents cover the joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles, the expansion of capabilities in unmanned naval systems, and the creation of a joint venture dedicated to the production of ground robotic complexes.

Zelensky emphasized the timing of the agreement, which coincides with Ukraine's National Flag Day and on the eve of its Independence Day.

"On these important dates, we especially feel the value of true friendship," he declared, expressing gratitude to Stubb, the Finnish government, businesses and the people of Finland for their unwavering support since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia.

Expanding the drone agreement format

The agreements with Finland come after a broader diplomatic push by Kiev to secure long-term defense cooperation pacts under what it calls the "Drone Agreement" format.

On July 7, during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Ukraine signed similar agreements on the Drone Agreement with Estonia and the Netherlands.

At the time, Zelensky described the agreements as "full-fledged" cooperation agreements covering joint drone production, technology development and systematic arms exports.

During the same summit, Zelensky and Stubb held a separate meeting to discuss the timelines and conditions for finalizing their bilateral Drone Agreement.

The comprehensive initiative aims to increase international defense production, utilizing combat-tested Ukrainian expertise, while mitigating the risk of Russian attacks on domestic production facilities by relocating joint ventures to allied countries.