Latvia has announced confirmation its government has inked a new deal for Ukraine to assist in a Ukrainian drone manufacturing plant on Latvian soil, right near the border with Russia, as well as close to the Belarusian border.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said following an emergency cabinet meeting held in Latgale that his country will "accelerate plans to establish a joint drone manufacturing facility with Ukraine and aims to locate it near the country’s eastern border region," regional media reports.
The small Baltic country has been a member of NATO since 2004, and along with other allies like Estonia and Lithuania (both of which also joined NATO during the mid-2000s expansion wave).
These Baltic states have remained outspoken in their anti-Moscow hawkishness, and this latest announced plan of Latvia to produce drones with Ukraine once again reveals that there's no heed being given to Russia's red lines.
The Kremlin has for years warned European states that constant NATO and military infrastructure expansion right up to Russia's borders could trigger major war. Of course, in Ukraine it has, but fears remain that some kind of major provocation could result in direct Russia-NATO conflict.
Regional media is really emphasizing the closeness of the planned facility to Russia:
Kulbergs said the agreement on cooperation in the field of unmanned systems, signed at the beginning of June, includes plans for joint production. In particular, a manufacturing facility is to be built rapidly near Latvia's border with Russia.
The prime minister said the government would do everything necessary to ensure the facility is located close to the border. He added that the region needs economic activity, investment and jobs.
So now these Baltic leaders are just openly prodding and provoking Russia, it seems.
The Latvian leader after saying all of this is still promoting the 'defensive' nature of such a joint drone program: "Kulbergs also said that new counter-drone systems are expected to become operational along Latvia's borders with Belarus and Russia in July and August, allowing the country to respond to aerial threats without deploying aircraft on every occasion."
"If there is a drone threat, we will not have to scramble aircraft every time. It is a very expensive and effective solution, but it is neither the best nor the most efficient one," he said further.
There's been a heightened spillover threat of UAVs from the context of the Russia-Ukraine theater, however, in some cases these have been reported to be errant Ukrainian drones, and not just Russian ones.
Russian media has really seized on this trend...
Kulbergs is also saying he hopes to reach Ukraine's level of drone defense by the end of the year. The Zelensky government has over the past year been aggressively marketing its expertise to allied nations, and even in the Middle East in the context of the Iran war.