Belgium and Turkey join the Drone Coalition

The Steering Committee of the International Drone Coalition in Riga on June 2 supported the desire of Belgium and Turkey to join the group. There are now 20 participating states. All of them have pledged to allocate €2.75 billion this year to support Ukraine.

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia following the meeting.

"The international drone coalition continues to grow, and this is a clear signal that support for Ukraine is not only maintained, but is becoming stronger and more resilient. The joining of new allies to the coalition will allow us to provide Ukraine with much-needed support on the battlefield in the fight against the aggressor in an even more targeted and effective manner, as well as strengthen the defense industry — ours and that of our allied countries," stressed Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds.

• The Drone Coalition for Ukraine was launched on February 17, 2024, within the framework of the Contact Group on Defense Issues of Ukraine (Ramstein format). The initiative was co-led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. Currently, the Drone Coalition consists of 20 official member states that have signed a Letter of Intent. These are Latvia, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, and Turkey.
• In 2024, support reached €1.8 billion. In 2025, countries plan to allocate a total of €2.75 billion — that is, in two years, assistance will reach €4.5 billion. Also in 2025, countries contributed almost €180 million to a joint procurement fund. These funds are intended for centralized procurement of drone technology and support for national manufacturers in each Coalition country.

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