Latvia And Ukraine Will Build A Drone Factory Together

• 29.06.2026, 11:47

On the border with Russia and Belarus.

Latvia, with Ukraine’s support, plans to build a drone manufacturing plant near the country’s eastern border. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced this at an extraordinary cabinet meeting on the development of Latgale—a region bordering Russia and Belarus. According to him, Latgale has “the lowest wages in the country” and “serious problems” with employment, so the region needs “economic activity.”

Kulbergs also promised to deploy drone defense systems along the border with Russia and Belarus by the end of the summer. He noted that interceptor drones will be used to address this challenge. “If there is a threat from drones, we won’t have to scramble fighter jets every time, which is a very effective solution, but not the best or most productive one,” said the Latvian prime minister. In addition, he announced a review of the current system for establishing and restoring shelters in order to find a unified solution.

In early June, the Latvian prime minister and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a ten-year agreement on comprehensive cooperation in the field of defense. Under the agreement, Riga will adopt Ukraine’s experience in defending its airspace against drones. In particular, the agreement emphasizes that the parties will strengthen their security through the exchange of technology, experience, and knowledge, especially in the field of air and missile defense, including combat drones, maritime drones and interceptor drones, electronic warfare systems, and so on.

In addition, Kyiv and Riga will explore the possibility of stationing their forces on each other’s territory when “it is practically feasible.” During the first two years of the agreement, Latvia intends to allocate at least 5% of its defense budget to its implementation, which will amount to 110 million euros in 2027, the publication noted Delfi.