Finland and Ukraine sign Drone Deal to boost their defence and security cooperation

President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an enhanced defence and security cooperation agreement on 23 September. The agreement, commonly referred to as the drone deal, establishes a framework for defence materiel cooperation between the two countries.

"The agreement signed by Finland and Ukraine is an important step also for Patria and our objective to initiate drone production in Finland in collaboration with General Cherry. The collaboration will support the development of Europe’s defence capabilities and Patria’s aim to be a pioneer in defence technologies and an innovative product developer,” says Mikko Leino, Executive Vice President of Patria’s Defence and Weapon Systems business area.

Patria and Ukrainian drone manufacturer Center of Unmanned Technologies LLC (“General Cherry”) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) in August 2026.