NATO allies to provide Ukraine with 1 million drones
16 February 05:04
NATO countries plan to provide Ukraine with one million drones as part of military assistance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a briefing in Brussels, reports
NATO defence ministers met on Thursday (15 February 2024) to discuss the Alliance’s deterrence and defence, as well as support for Ukraine.
“A group of Allies will join forces to provide one million drones to Ukraine. 20 NATO member states have also decided to create a coalition for mine action. These measures are designed to save the lives of Ukrainian citizens,”
– he said.
Stoltenberg pointed to “historic progress” in increasing investment in defence.
“By the end of 2024, European Allies and Canada will have added more than $600 billion in defence spending since we committed to defence investment,” he said,
– he said, adding that he expects 18 Allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defence this year.
Stoltenberg stressed that at the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov gave an overview of the situation at the frontline, and Allies stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine.
In addition, Stoltenberg noted that several Allies, including Canada, Finland, Norway and others, have announced new military aid packages for Ukraine, including equipment for F-16s and air defence equipment.
One million drones and modernisation of the army
The decision to maximise state support for drone production was made in March 2023, when the government approved a resolution. Since then, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has been actively working to expand production, provide maximum support to drone manufacturers, and remove bureaucratic obstacles to the creation of UAVs. Recently, Minister Fedorov launched the People’s Drone initiative, under which every citizen can assemble a drone at home at their own expense.
In late 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Ukraine would produce one million drones for the frontline by 2024, referring to FPV drones. Minister Fedorov responded with assurances that this target would even be exceeded.
In his last article in the Western press on the eve of his dismissal from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi emphasised the need for a technological breakthrough in the army, with a particular focus on unmanned technologies. The Commander-in-Chief claimed that it would take only 5 months to reorient the army to unmanned systems.
After his dismissal, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the government to work on the creation of a separate type of troops in the Armed Forces – the Unmanned Systems Forces.