Ukrainian, Latvian presidents discuss defense cooperation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone conversation with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on Friday to discuss defense cooperation under a bilateral drone initiative, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

The statement said Rinkevics praised the work of a Ukrainian team of experts in Latvia and added that Ukraine remains ready to help its partners with defense expertise and battle-tested equipment.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, thanked Latvia for contributing an additional 7 million euros ($7.9 million) to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, bringing its total support to 24 million euros ($27 million). He said Kyiv expects further cooperation through joint projects under the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) framework.

The two also coordinated positions ahead of the upcoming NATO summit and other contacts at the partner level.

Ukraine and Latvia signed a drone cooperation agreement in early June aimed at sharing Ukraine’s counter-drone expertise, training and technology while expanding joint defense production.