Czechia joined the drone coalition for Ukraine led by Latvia and the U.K. after its delegation signed a memorandum of understanding during the NATO summit in Washington, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced on July 22.
The drone coalition was established in January to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Czech Republic became the 16th member of the coalition, along with Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Lithuania, among other members.
"I am absolutely delighted to welcome the Czech Republic to the drone coalition, which helps Ukraine fight back the Russian invasion," Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said.
"Every member state of the coalition can make a significant contribution to Ukraine's efforts and also support the development of their national industry at the same time," the minister added.
On July 10, the British government announced that the coalition member states had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint fund worth 45 million euros ($49 million) to assist Ukraine.
Ukraine has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of attack drones, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year.
Kyiv officially presented its Unmanned Systems Forces on June 11, four months after President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree ordering the creation of a separate branch of the armed forces tasked with improving drone operations.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
