He met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on the sidelines of the Bucharest Nine summit in Romania.
According to Zelensky, during the conversation with Nauseda, the main attention was paid to the defense interaction of the countries and a bilateral cooperation agreement was concluded in the Drone Deal format, which should strengthen both countries in the field of defense. The President of Ukraine emphasized that this agreement is built on the principle of reciprocity, according to which Ukraine supports partners who really and tangibly support its defense.
“The Ukrainian military expert team will work in Lithuania to create the necessary defense capabilities. First of all, to protect against modern threats and strengthen the security of our states and the entire region. We have common challenges, and we need to overcome them together,” Zelensky wrote.
Following the meeting with Rinkevichs, Zelensky also expressed hope for signing an agreement with Latvia in the Drone Deal format “to build a multi-level system for protecting the sky from various types of threats.”
“I offered Mr. President such cooperation. We will send our experts to Latvia to exchange experience and provide direct assistance in protecting the airspace. It is important to work together to strengthen the defense of Europe,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky said that Ukrainian security expertise is already working in the Gulf countries, helping in the Middle East and South Caucasus. He also proposed a Drone Deal for the entire European Union, but believes that this “should be a multi-level system” that needs to be developed both at the level of European institutions and at the level of countries.
