Sprūds delivers Latvian land drones to Ukraine, armoured vehicles to follow

On Tuesday, March 24th, Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Kiev. During the meeting, the officials discussed the situation on the frontline, the military support provided by Latvia, as well as future directions of cooperation in the development of the defence industry.

"Latvia's support for Ukraine is and will remain unwavering, because Ukraine's struggle is also our struggle for a safe and free Europe. Latvia consistently supports the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders," said Sprūds.

Sprūds emphasized that Ukraine's future is closely linked to its full integration into the European Union. He expressed support for the accession process of Ukraine and Moldova, emphasizing the joint progress of both countries towards membership in the bloc.

"We are very proud to have such relations with all representatives of the Nordic and Baltic countries. And we are very glad to have such strong friends. And, of course, it is especially important that at this time Latvia supports us not only with military assistance and geopolitical backing on our path to the EU, but also in all matters of humanitarian aid and other areas,” said President Zelenskyy.

As reported, Latvia continues to provide military assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces. In 2024, a Latvia-Ukraine agreement on long-term support and security commitments was concluded, confirming Latvia's strong and unwavering support for Ukraine's security.

In 2025, Latvia's military support to Ukraine reached 0.3% of GDP by the end of the year, and in 2026, the amount of support is planned to be 0.25% of GDP.

This year, Latvia will continue to provide support to Ukraine by purchasing Latvian military industry goods, leading the Ukrainian support group Drone Coalition, training Ukrainian soldiers, donating equipment to the National Armed Forces, and making contributions to international support initiatives, as well as continuing to provide various types of support to Ukraine's efforts to become a member of the European Union and NATO.

During the visit, Sprūds also handed over Latvian-made 'Natrix' land drones to the 3rd Corps of the Ukrainian Army, as can be seen in the video below which he posted to Facebook [note: soundtrack is loud and appears to be AC/DC].

While in Kyiv, Sprūds also met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and informed him that Latvia will transfer additional CVR(T)' combat vehicles to Ukraine.

"We continue to provide support to Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor and will do so for as long as necessary. Based on the current needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we have begun the transfer of additional combat reconnaissance tracked armored vehicles 'CVR(T)' to Ukraine," said Sprūds, without specifying how many were being sent.

The Ministry of Defence emphasized that the supply of the additional armored vehicles to Ukraine will not affect the needs and operational capabilities of the National Armed Forces.

As previously reported, in 2024, Latvia transferred to Ukraine nine combat reconnaissance tracked armored vehicles purchased from the United Kingdom as recently as 2014.