Netherlands, Germany, Canada to send drones to Ukraine

Kateryna Hodunova
·1 min read

Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada will supply Ukraine with drones, while Lithuania will allocate additional funds for first-person view (FPV) drone production, Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported on April 15 after a meeting of the countries' representatives.

The United Kingdom and Latvia co-lead the drone coalition, which was established in January to bolster Ukraine's drone arsenal. Seven countries, apart from the founding states, have joined the alliance, including Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, and Denmark.

Germany plans to provide Ukraine with Vector 211 reconnaissance drones without specifying the amount, according to the Defense Ministry's statement.

Canada, in turn, will send 450 SkyRanger multi-mission drones, while the Netherlands, in collaboration with Denmark and Germany, will supply Ukraine with Heidrun RQ-35 reconnaissance drones worth 200 million euros ($213 million).

Lithuania will also allocate 3 million euros ($3 million) for the Ukrainian FPV drone production.

"The situation on the front line changes every day, the enemy continues to attack civilian facilities, especially energy infrastructure," Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko said during the meeting, adding that Ukraine needs "tools" to respond to these attacks.

"Time for discussion on the decisions is running out, we need it now," Chernohorenko said.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said that the drone coalition is waiting for new members to join and support this initiative.

Latvia previously announced that it would deliver 1 million euros ($1.1 million) worth of drones to Ukraine "soon."

"Latvia also plans to continue helping Ukraine further, and we are preparing the next defense aid package this month," Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said on April 4.

Read also: Media: Lancet drone analog presented to Zelensky, being used at the front

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