Ukraine and Finland sign a €300 million package for joint defence production – what it means for drones

Ukraine and Finland agreed on October 22 in Kyiv a cooperation package worth about 300 million euros, at a meeting of President Volodymyr Zelensky with a Finnish delegation that included Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and executives of Finnish and Ukrainian defence companies. Seven documents were signed in total, three of them concerning the defence industry.

Most of the money, 200 million euros, goes to the Drone Deal initiative for unmanned systems. Another 100 million euros falls under the Build with Ukraine programme, which targets production facilities with the participation of foreign companies. The amounts and their allocation are in the announcement published on Monday, November 9 by Ukraine’s defence ministry.

From drones to robotic vehicles

The meeting focused on direct cooperation between companies of the two countries, larger-scale production and new technological solutions for the needs of Ukraine’s Defence Forces. Kyiv names unmanned and robotic systems, and other types of modern weapons, as promising fields. The foundation had already been laid by three documents signed by Ukrainian and Finnish companies in August 2026 on developing and producing unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles and surface vessels. The intergovernmental Drone Deal followed in September.

“Finland is a very important partner for us,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is actively working on implementing the Drone Deal and that the country’s drone production capacity is “several times larger” than last year. He urged the Finns to use that capacity together for more joint production.

Mr Orpo, for his part, recalled that within 2026 Finland has sent Ukraine five defence aid packages worth over half a billion euros in total and is preparing the next one. He also mentioned delivery of ten locomotives, a 5 million euro contribution to Ukraine’s Energy Support Fund and planned shipments of mobile heating units.

Finland has lately strengthened its defence ties beyond Europe too, with the defence equipment and technology transfer agreement it signed with Japan in October.

European funds and tests in the field

Two deputy defence ministers were also at the meeting, Anna Hvozdiar and Serhiy Boyev, responsible for European integration. Ms Hvozdiar noted that for joint projects Kyiv can draw, beyond partners’ resources, on European Union funding. She also stressed that Ukraine offers to share its experience of testing new defence technologies in real combat conditions, so that partners can improve their own designs.

The package followed one more step, the June agreement on mutual quality assurance of defence products. Under it, when Ukraine orders from a Finnish factory, quality checks are automatically recognised by both sides, without duplicate procedures.

The joint-production model with European partners is not new for Kyiv. Chancellor Merz’s visit to Kyiv with a 1.35 billion euro package, which provided for an agreement on joint drone production, moved in a similar direction. Ukraine’s defence ministry says it continues to shape terms for international industrial cooperation, attracting investment and raising output, aiming to strengthen Ukraine’s defence industry as well as European defence capabilities.