Ukraine and Finland Sign Drone Deal to Strengthen Defense and Security
Key Developments in Ukraine's International Drone Agreements
Signing of the Ukraine-Finland Drone Deal
Sept 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he had signed a "drone deal" with Finland's president, another in a series of agreements offering to combine Kyiv's technical expertise with other countries' industrial capacity.
Zelenskiy met Finnish President Alexander Stubb, along with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, praising both leaders for supporting Kyiv.
"And today we just signed a Drone Deal with Alex (Stubb) – an important step for jointly protecting our people and an even stronger partnership between our countries," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.
"We are always ready to share what has helped us save lives with our closest friends."
Ukraine's Rapid Advancement in Drone Technology
Development and Deployment Since 2022
When the war began in February 2022, Ukraine had limited experience in drone technology. Kyiv has rapidly developed its expertise and is now able to down drones, many of them designed by Iran.
It has offered its technology to a wide range of countries, many of them in the Middle East facing Iranian weaponry.
International Partnerships and Agreements
Kyiv has clinched "drone deals" with some 10 countries and has an accord with the European Union.
In his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said a security accord had also been concluded with Australia.
Strategic Importance of Drone Deals
Adaptable Security Formats
He described the drone deals as "ready-made security formats that we adapt to each specific country and each specific region".
"We are already working with partners in the Gulf, the South Caucasus, and across Europe through drone deals."
Enhancing Border and Infrastructure Security
Control and Protection Capabilities
Developing drones, he said, allowed countries to control borders, mountain areas and roads "and without them, this would simply be impossible".
Resilience and Resource Organization
He added, "It is also about protecting infrastructure, about resilience, about organizing resources and defense forces so that critical infrastructure and transport can keep working even in the most difficult conditions."
"This is also part of the deals we offer."
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and by Tom Balmforth at the United Nations; Editing by David Gregorio)
