Latest news with #DroneCoalitionforUkraine
1News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Govt announces $16m in new Ukraine support ahead of NATO Summit
The New Zealand Government has announced $16 million in additional support for Ukraine, revealed just before Prime Minister Christopher Luxon takes part in a NATO Summit in the Netherlands. The Prime Minister said the country "stands in solidarity with Ukraine". "Its war of self-defence is well into its fourth year and our condemnation of Russia's illegal full-scale invasion remains undiminished," Luxon said. The support will go towards two $4 million contributions to funds for lethal and non-lethal military support, including the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine fund, and the UK and Latvia-led Drone Coalition for Ukraine. New Zealand will also provide $7 million in further humanitarian aid for conflict-affected communities in Ukraine, and $1 million for Ukrainians displaced in neighbouring countries. ADVERTISEMENT Ahead of attending a NATO Summit in The Hague this week, Luxon said he expected Ukraine to be on the agenda alongside the ongoing US and Israeli conflict with Iran. "There'll be a lot of conversation, obviously, about the Middle East, but there'll also be a lot of conversation about Ukraine as well," he told media in Brussels. "We may be a long way from these conflicts, but it's important, if you've got values, that you stand up for them, you articulate them, and, where you can, put support to them." Foreign Minister Winston Peters said it's "vital" countries keep pressure on Russia and work to "achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine." Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins. (Source: 1News) "The defence of Ukraine has significant implications not only for the security of the Euro-Atlantic, but also for the Indo-Pacific," Peters said in a media release. "We must continue to work with others in the international community to uphold a rules-based order that serves all our interests." ADVERTISEMENT New Zealand's total support since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 totals over $168 million and includes a deployment of up to 100 Defence Force personnel who are providing military training. Luxon's European visit continues On the second day of Luxon's five-day trip in Europe, he visited war memorials in Belgium's Ypres, an area where several key battles took place in World War I. This included the Battle of Passchendaele, where more New Zealanders were killed than on any other day since the start of the war, with around 960 soldiers killed according to Parliament. The event is known as the darkest days in New Zealand's history. Luxon also visited the only Māori war memorial in Europe, Pou Maumahara, as well as Passchendaele Museum, Tyne Cot Cemetery and the New Zealand Battlefield Memorial at Messines Ridge. The PM said the day had been 'quite sobering.' Around 18,000 New Zealanders died during World War I or because of it, and 41,000 instances of wounding or illness were recorded. More than one in ten New Zealanders served in the Expeditionary Forces, with the country's population approximately 1.1 million at the time.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belgium's defense minister says drones are the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the 1300s
Belgium's defense minister said drones are "the future of warfare." Theo Francken, speaking at a drone summit in Latvia, compared drones to gunpowder in the 1300s. Belgium, alongside Turkey, plans to join a group of countries boosting drone production for Ukraine. Belgium's defense minister compared the revolutionary impact of drone warfare to that of gunpowder as European officials pledged to boost drone production for Ukraine. "I really believe that this is the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the Hundred Years War, like an industrial revolution was in the First World War, and like nuclear capacity was in the Second World War," Theo Francken said, speaking at the Drone Summit 2025 in Riga, Latvia. "Drone technology and drone warfare will be decisive in the Russian-Ukrainian war," he added. "And we need to jump on this train because otherwise we'll lose pretty much everything." Earlier that day, Latvia's defense minister, Andris Sprūds, announced that Belgium and Turkey planned to join the 18-member Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed in 2024 to pool resources and expertise to produce drones for Ukraine's armed forces. Drones have transformed the war in Ukraine, with Ukraine using cheap uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, for surveillance and attacks, offsetting Russia's large equipment and personnel advantage. The country has also developed sophisticated long-range strike drones for attacks deep inside Russian territory, not to mention powerful sea drones. Russia, for its part, has developed its own sophisticated drone warfare capabilities and has used drones to attack Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. The Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed by the UK and Latvia, invested €1.8 billion, or about $2 billion, in producing drones for Ukraine in 2024, Latvian broadcaster LVM reported. On Wednesday, Sprūds, the Latvian defense minister, said the drone coalition was on course to provide €2 billion of further funding for Ukraine's drones in 2025. "Our aim remains to reinforce the supply of drones to Ukraine," he said, "So Ukraine maintains the battlefield superiority but also, of course, invest in Ukraine, so it also develops its own industry." Ukraine's government has set the target of producing 4.5 million military drones in 2025. Speaking at the summit, Luke Pollard, the UK's Minister for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, echoed Francken's comments about the impact of drones. "The drone coalition exists because we all understand how drones have shifted the tectonic plates of warfare," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Belgium's defense minister says drones are the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the 1300s
Belgium's defense minister compared the revolutionary impact of drone warfare to that of gunpowder as European officials pledged to boost drone production for Ukraine. "I really believe that this is the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the Hundred Years War, like an industrial revolution was in the First World War, and like nuclear capacity was in the Second World War," Theo Francken said, speaking at the Drone Summit 2025 in Riga, Latvia. "Drone technology and drone warfare will be decisive in the Russian-Ukrainian war," he added. "And we need to jump on this train because otherwise we'll lose pretty much everything." Earlier that day, Latvia's defense minister, Andris Sprūds, announced that Belgium and Turkey planned to join the 18-member Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed in 2024 to pool resources and expertise to produce drones for Ukraine's armed forces. Drones have transformed the war in Ukraine, with Ukraine using cheap uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, for surveillance and attacks, offsetting Russia's large equipment and personnel advantage. The country has also developed sophisticated long-range strike drones for attacks deep inside Russian territory, not to mention powerful sea drones. Russia, for its part, has developed its own sophisticated drone warfare capabilities and has used drones to attack Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Getting drones to Ukraine The Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed by the UK and Latvia, invested €1.8 billion, or about $2 billion, in producing drones for Ukraine in 2024, Latvian broadcaster LVM reported. On Wednesday, Sprūds, the Latvian defense minister, said the drone coalition was on course to provide €2 billion of further funding for Ukraine's drones in 2025. "Our aim remains to reinforce the supply of drones to Ukraine," he said, "So Ukraine maintains the battlefield superiority but also, of course, invest in Ukraine, so it also develops its own industry." Ukraine's government has set the target of producing 4.5 million military drones in 2025. Speaking at the summit, Luke Pollard, the UK's Minister for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, echoed Francken's comments about the impact of drones. "The drone coalition exists because we all understand how drones have shifted the tectonic plates of warfare," he said.
