Attending the Bucharest Nine summit in the Romanian capital, Zelenskyy said he raised defense cooperation during talks with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and agreed to work together under a “Drone Deal” format.
“We have signed a bilateral agreement between our countries,” the Ukrainian leader said.
“The agreement is meant to strengthen both of our countries in defense, and it is important that it is built on reciprocity: we support partners who tangibly support our defense.”
He said a team of Ukrainian military experts will work in Lithuania to build necessary defensive capabilities “first and foremost to protect against modern threats and to strengthen the security of our states and the entire region.” Zelenskyy added that the two countries face common challenges that must be met together and praised Lithuania’s readiness to bolster its defenses and respond to any Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy also met with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and proposed similar security cooperation.
“We expect to sign an agreement with Latvia in the Drone Deal format to build a multilayered system to protect the sky from different types of threats,” he said.
“We will send our experts to Latvia to exchange experience
and provide direct help in defending airspace. It is important to work together
to strengthen Europe’s defense.”