Ukraine and Finland agree on joint drone production
The presidents of Finland and Ukraine signed an agreement in New York on cooperation in drone manufacturing and defense technology exchange, with some drones for Ukraine potentially to be built in Finland in the future.
Finland and Ukraine have signed a new agreement to deepen cooperation on unmanned aerial vehicles. The deal was signed on Wednesday in New York, during the United Nations General Assembly session, by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Scope of the agreement
The agreement covers several areas of cooperation, ranging from technology transfer to joint drone manufacturing. Notably, it envisions that some of the drones Ukraine needs for its defense could in the future be produced directly on Finnish territory.
Mutual benefit
President Stubb explained that in certain cases, manufacturing in Finland could prove both more efficient and cheaper. At the same time, he noted the cooperation is not one-sided — Finland intends to learn from Ukraine's wartime experience to strengthen its own national defense capabilities. According to Stubb, while Ukraine needs full support in its fight, the agreement benefits both countries.
Zelensky, for his part, described the agreement as an important step in strengthening the security of both nations, emphasizing the significance of joint efforts in building shared defense capacity.
Broader context
This is not the first such agreement Ukraine has concluded. The country has previously signed similar cooperation deals with several other states aimed at jointly developing and manufacturing defense technologies. This approach allows Ukraine both to access additional production capacity abroad and to share technological insights gained during the war with its allies.
