Latvia has pledged 112 million euros ($126 million) in military support to Ukraine this year and will help expand the Drone Coalition initiative, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote on Facebook on Aug. 23.
Umerov met with Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds and discussed front-line developments and strengthening the Drone Coalition, which has united nearly 20 countries so far.
“Mr. Spruds expressed his willingness to work with other countries to attract them to the coalition and similar initiatives in support of Ukraine,” Umerov wrote.
Latvia, one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, has committed to providing military support at the level of 0.25% of its GDP every year and will provide thousands of drones, Umerov added.
Spruds said on Aug. 22, that the latest shipment consists of 1,400 drones and that Latvia has procured 2,700 drones in total under the coalition.
In May, Riga said it would invest around 20 million euros ($22 million) in the drone coalition this year, and a similar sum to the development of Latvia's own drone capabilities.
Along with the U.K., Latvia is the leader of the drone coalition, an allied initiative established to supply Ukrainian forces with this crucial capability.
The coalition was established in January to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Seven countries, apart from the founding states, have joined the alliance, including Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, and Denmark.
Abbey Fenbert
(Updated: )
