Ukraine and Finland have officially moved from framework agreements to actual joint production of military equipment and weapons. The corresponding cooperation memoranda were signed in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a round table on defense cooperation, RBK-Ukraine reports, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine. Representatives of seven leading Finnish companies — Patria, Nokia, Insta, Boomeranger, Nest AI, Sensofusion, and ICEYE — arrived in Kyiv for the negotiations, underscoring the scale and technological depth of the announced partnership.
What exactly will be produced
According to the signed documents, the parties are launching joint production of unmanned systems, building maritime crewless complexes, and establishing a separate enterprise for the production of ground robots. Thus, the cooperation covers three domains at once — air, maritime, and ground — making it one of the most comprehensive within the framework of Kyiv's defense cooperation with European partners. It is separately noted that the political work on the Drone Deal agreement is also being finalized, while the parties are simultaneously expanding cooperation in cyberspace and the space domain.
Supply scheme: 90% of drones to Ukraine
According to several media outlets, the joint drone production program operates under a distribution scheme in which the main share — around 90% of the units produced — is directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, while the remaining portion stays with the Finnish side. By the initiative's authors' design, this approach simultaneously strengthens Ukraine's defense potential and gives the Finnish industrial sector access to advanced combat technologies proven in real conflict conditions.
Leaders' positions: from paper to real tools
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the partnership between the two states has already gone beyond declarations. "From the very beginning of this war, you have been with us. And now, as our military and defense sector has grown, we can cooperate; we have started joint production, and we have not only agreements, not only paper — we have real tools and already real results," the Ukrainian president stated. Alexander Stubb, for his part, stressed the mutual benefit in both the short and long term: "Today, Ukraine ensures the security of all of Europe, and Ukraine's capabilities to wage modern war are the best in Europe, so cooperation between Ukraine and Finland will strengthen both countries."
Context: diplomacy and the front-line situation
The launch of joint production comes against the backdrop of Kyiv's ongoing diplomatic efforts. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine, together with international partners, had developed three key proposals for ending the war with Russia, which have been coordinated with the American and European sides. At the same time, according to the head of state, the Defense Forces are holding their positions and returning their own territories under control, and Kyiv expects to reach parity with Russia on occupied and liberated territories by the end of the year. In this context, deepening defense cooperation with Finland is seen as an element of strengthening negotiating positions and long-term security.
