Ukraine and Latvia are working to increase drone production, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
During a joint press conference in Kyiv with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, Kuleba noted the great potential of Ukrainian and Latvian companies to increase production of attack UAVs.
“I am very grateful to Latvia for its leadership in the Drone Coalition. We are now working together to increase this production – we need more drones. I believe that Ukrainian and Latvian companies can really do a lot in this direction,” he said.
The minister also noted Latvia’s decision to join the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells and noted that the production of shells was one of the central issues during the bilateral talks.
Kuleba also thanked Braža for making her first visit in her new position to Ukraine, which is a sign of special respect for Ukraine and its defenders.
The Verkhovna Rada has supported drone production in Ukraine by exempting components of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from value added tax and import duty for the time being.
Bills No. 9275 and 9276 were voted for by 284 and 289 people’s deputies at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Monday in the first reading and as a whole, respectively, parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Golos faction) said in a Telegram.
The bills amend the Tax and Customs Codes and help optimize UAV production and supply processes.
In particular, for the duration of martial law, components (materials, units, equipment units, components) of UAVs that enterprises import for their own activities for the production and repair of unmanned aerial vehicles are exempt from VAT and import duty.
The work on the transfer of Israeli technologies related to smart alerts for missiles and drones to Ukraine is in progress, said the Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevgeniy Korniychuk.
“Regarding the official things that we can comment – there is work on the transfer of Israeli technology related to smart alerts concerning missiles and drones. This technology is officially being transferred by the Israeli side. And I think that in a certain time we will receive it completely,” he said at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine.
The Ambassador added that Ukraine still needs more active military-technical cooperation. However, according to him, there are many projects that cannot be commented on publicly yet.
“In order to have specifics on Iranian drones, I think it will take a few weeks. Since the government has just started work, it needs to make a decision taking into account the position of the U.S. as a major strategic partner, and the interests of the public,” the ambassador said.
He explained that the gap between the right-wing bloc that came to power and the left-wing forces is very small – 40 thousand voters, and the agenda is very much related to domestic politics, as well as the Palestinian question.
“So the issue of Ukraine is not a priority. Although we are trying with all our might to make it so,” Korniychuk added.
At the same time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the issue of the war in Ukraine is a priority, said the Ukrainian diplomat.
“The minister said that he would facilitate more aid to Ukraine, without specifying it,” the ambassador said.
