Finland will hand over 90 percent of drones produced under a joint manufacturing deal with Ukraine, Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced at the Ukraine-Nordic-Baltic Eight summit in Kyiv on Saturday.
The agreement, which Stubb described as being in its final stages with only minor changes remaining, will see Finnish and Ukrainian companies co-develop and manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and European partners. The partnership also covers unmanned maritime systems and a joint venture for ground-based robotic systems.
“I’m eagerly awaiting the results, but it seems one of the companies has already announced a figure for the number of drones that could be produced in Finland, and I think the agreement will be something like a 90/10 ratio,” Stubb said. “So, 90 percent of the production goes to Ukraine, and 10 percent remains in Finland.”
Finnish Companies Arrive in Kyiv
Top managers from seven leading Finnish defense companies have traveled to Kyiv to implement the agreements, according to the Ukrainian president’s office. The production model follows a fragmented collaborative arrangement similar to the Danish defense cooperation framework.
Stubb pushed back on the notion that Western nations are simply providing charity to Ukraine, saying the partnership would be mutually beneficial. “I think many Europeans, and Americans for that matter, need to get rid of the notion that we’re doing some kind of charity for Ukraine,” he said. “Perhaps that was the case at first. But now we can learn more from Ukraine than Ukraine learns from us.”
Part of Broader Nordic-Baltic Support
The drone deal was one of several agreements announced at the NB8 summit, which brought together Nordic and Baltic leaders with Ukrainian officials. The summit also addressed Ukraine’s broader defense needs, including air defense and military financing.
Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in drone warfare, with its forces deploying FPV and long-range strike drones extensively against Russian targets. The country has increasingly sought to establish domestic and international production partnerships to sustain its drone arsenal amid the ongoing conflict.
The agreements come as Ukraine pushes to ramp up its own military-industrial capacity while securing additional support from European allies. Finnish drone production for Ukraine is expected to begin within months once the final terms are formalized.
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