Latvia, Ukraine to boost drone production

Latvia and Ukraine vowed an increase in the manufacture of drones, while Latvia is also set to provide Ukraine with a 250MW generator to the embattled nation as part of non-military support.

This was announced by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Latvia, Dmytro Kuleba and Baiba Braze, who spoke at a joint briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The generator will be donated by the Latvenergo operator to contribute to covering the needs of the Ukrainian energy system, Braze told journalists.

She added that she met with the staff of a Ukrainian thermal power plant to learn first-hand about their critical needs amid ongoing Russian attacks targeting energy generation facilities across the country.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, for his part, said he had discussed with his Latvian counterpart strategic issues and problems that need to be addressed immediately.

"We appreciate Latvia’s decision to join the initiative put forward by the Czech Republic on the purchase of artillery rounds, we talked about the production of shells. I certainly thank Latvia for leading the drone coalition. Currently, joint work is underway to increase their output. We need more drones. Ukrainian and Latvian companies can really do a lot," Kuleba noted.

The ministers also discussed Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the newly appointed head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braze, arrived in Kyiv on Friday, April 26.