Presidents of Ukraine and Latvia Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Edgars Rinkēvičs have discussed further cooperation in the security and defense sector, in particular within the framework of the Drone Deal, PURL, and SAFE programs, and also spoke about negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
"We discussed cooperation within the Drone Deal with President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs. Mr. President noted the work of our team of specialists in Latvia. We appreciate this and are always ready to help our friends with expertise in defense and war-tested equipment," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Friday.
The President of Ukraine reported that he expressed gratitude to Latvia for its recent decision regarding an additional contribution to the PURL program. "This is very important for us: every contribution means more lives saved from Russian attacks. We also count on cooperation and the implementation of joint projects within SAFE," Zelenskyy wrote.
According to him, Edgars congratulated Ukraine on the opening of the first negotiation cluster on EU accession. "Latvia’s position is clear and principled: the opening of the remaining clusters must be as fast as possible, and we hope that other partners will be just as principled. We coordinated our positions in the context of the NATO summit and other contacts at the level of partners," he added.
Cooperation between Ukraine and Latvia in the Drone Deal format is a strategic partnership aimed at the joint production of drones, technology exchange, and strengthening Ukraine’s air and missile defense. Ukraine signed the Drone Deal with Latvia on June 9.
On June 15, 2026, the first negotiation cluster "Fundamentals" on the path to Ukraine’s EU accession was officially opened in Luxembourg. This step moves the European integration process into a practical plane, signaling the successful completion of the preparatory stage – the screening of legislation.
The next NATO summit will take place on July 7-8, 2026, in the city of Ankara (Turkey), at the Beştepe Presidential Complex. This will be the 36th meeting of the Alliance’s leaders. The participants of the summit are the heads of state and government of the NATO member countries. The participation of the Ukrainian delegation is also expected.
