Finland announces participation in "drone coalition"
Drone Industry
Finland plans to officially join the international drone coalition by the end of this spring, stepping up its support for Ukraine in the field of unmanned technologies.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen's comment to Uutissuomalainen.
According to the defense chief, the decision to join had been under consideration for a long time, with assessments carried out both last year and this year. Ultimately, the government concluded that participation in the format, which already brings together more than two dozen countries, would be appropriate.
Finland steps up military-technical support
Helsinki stresses that joining the coalition will allow the country to increase its contribution to Europe's joint defense initiatives. Particular emphasis is being placed on developing and transferring unmanned systems for Ukraine's needs.
The defense minister said the government had also discussed additional funding for this area. New resources are expected to make Finland's contribution more substantial.
"This issue was assessed last year and this year. I can now announce that Finland will join the drone coalition this spring... We discussed in the government the allocation of more resources to support Ukraine in the field of unmanned systems. Thanks to this, we will be able to make a significant addition to European support for Ukraine," Antti Häkkänen said.
Who is in the coalition and what are the plans?
The drone coalition currently includes more than 20 countries. These include European states and partners from other regions. Latvia and the United Kingdom are co-leading the initiative.
The list of participants already includes Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czechia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
It is noted separately that Latvia plans to allocate EUR 15 million to the development of the coalition in 2026. This funding is intended to support the production and supply of drones for Ukrainian defense forces.
Finland's accession could strengthen the technological component of the initiative and speed up coordination among participants in the field of unmanned systems.
- Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine would receive EUR 6 billion to purchase domestically produced drones as part of a EUR 90 billion loan.
