Joint drone production: Ukraine and Netherlands move to implement project
Ukraine and the Netherlands plan to launch joint drone production as early as this year. This involves Baton and K4 unmanned aerial vehicles; however, the details of the project's implementation are not being disclosed, and specifically, the terms of the agreement remain confidential.
This was stated by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, Jurriaan Esser, Ukrinform reports.
"We expect that production will begin this year. The terms are confidential," Esser noted.
At the same time, the spokesperson emphasized that the defense industry of the Netherlands will not yield to pressure from Russia and will continue supporting Ukraine, particularly through the company Destinus.
"Our defense industry will not be intimidated by Russia. Destinus is an important partner for the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands," he stated.
As stated by the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, joint drone production by Ukrainian and Dutch companies is an important next stage of successful cooperation between the countries. She also emphasized that the Ukrainian military effectively uses drones to repel Russian attacks and has achieved significant results.
"The Ukrainians have achieved great success in this. Through close cooperation with Ukraine, the Netherlands is also learning this directly. This creates opportunities for our business sector. Thus, this cooperation forms a mutually beneficial situation for both countries," Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius emphasized.
Earlier, Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius announced that the country would allocate €248 million for the purchase of drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As a reminder, as part of a partnership agreement with Ukraine, the Netherlands is investing €482 million in the Ukrainian defence industry.
