Finland to Manufacture Drones for Ukraine and Europe

Ukrainian and Finnish defense companies will jointly develop and manufacture uncrewed military systems in Finland, reports The Kyiv Post, Ukraine’s major English-language media outlet.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the partnership after meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Kyiv.

“Today we are taking another step toward deepening our cooperation, combining Ukrainian combat experience with Finnish technologies,” Zelensky wrote on Facebook.

The newly signed agreements cover the production of aerial drones, maritime systems, and ground robotic complexes. The partnership aims to merge Ukraine’s real-world combat experience with Finland’s advanced technology sector.

The move is part of Ukraine’s broader diplomatic initiative known as the Drone Deal format.

Kyiv recently signed similar agreements with Estonia and the Netherlands during a NATO summit in Turkey. The overarching goal is to scale up international defense manufacturing securely outside of Ukrainian territory.

For Finland, the agreement aligns with a major shift in national economic and security policy. In 2025, Finland launched a national strategy to become a global leader in drone technology by 2030.

This emerging sector is expected to present significant business opportunities for the Finnish economy and local technology startups.

The Finnish government has provided over 3.4 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began.

Ukraine marks its Independence Day on Monday, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and several other European leaders in Kyiv for the events.

Speaking in Kyiv, Stubb said, “Defence cooperation has five different domains: maritime, air, land, cyber and space. I think 90 percent of [Finland’s] drone production will go to Ukraine, while ten percent of production will remain in Finland.”

He described the agreement as mutually beneficial and compared it to Denmark’s model, which directly funds Ukrainian defense companies.

According to Finland’s public broadcaster Yle, Stubb’s delegation includes seven defense companies. Three of them (Patria, Insta, and Boomeranger) signed memorandums of understanding with Ukrainian companies on joint production.