Ukraine ready to share drone technology with Nordic, Baltic countries: Zelenskyy

TALLINN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nordic and Baltic leaders in Estonia during a regional summit on Tuesday. A visit that comes amid friction over Ukrainian drones straying into the region in recent months.

The drones have reportedly crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian officials apologised, saying they had been aimed at military targets in Russia but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.

Estonia, which hosted the summit in its capital Tallinn, holds the rotating presidency of the NB8, a regional group of the five Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) and three Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) countries.

Sharing Ukraine's drone expertise

Zelenskyy and Estonian President Alar Karis agreed to work on cheaper ways to shoot down drones that have flown over Estonia, including one that a NATO fighter jet shot down over the south of the country in May.

"We have shown that we can shoot the drones down with the planes," Karis said at a news conference. Using fighter jets to shoot down the drones is expensive, he added, hoping to partner with Ukraine for its cost-effective technology and expertise.

Zelensky said Ukraine could offer the low-cost interceptor drones, which it has deployed at home to build an inexpensive shield against Russian drone attacks, and that Kyiv could send experts to its European partners "at any moment".

"We did this in the Middle East, and it worked," he said, drawing on Ukraine's experience with helping countries in the Middle East shoot down drones.

Karis said he expects drones to cross into Baltic airspace as the war continues and urged the public to remain calm. Estonia and the other Baltic nations are among Ukraine's staunchest supporters in its war against Russia.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine and Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs signed a drone deal to deepen joint defence and co-production.

Ukraine's bid for EU membership

Zelenskyy said his talks with the leaders had focused on advancing diplomacy, strengthening air defences and Ukraine's path to European Union membership. He said Kyiv had met the conditions to open its accession negotiations and urged the bloc to approve them this summer.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels that Ukraine is "making extraordinary progress" on reforms to allow it to join the EU and that "it's high time for us also now to deliver."

To become a part of the European Union, prospective members must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, or chapters, ranging from agriculture to trade, a process that can take years.

Russia's deadly strikes on Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russia has kept up its strikes across Ukraine. In the past 24 hours, the strikes killed three people and wounded 25 others, including three children, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional administration.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, three people were wounded when several districts came under attack overnight, said regional administration head Oleksandr Hanzha.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 166 long-range strike drones and two guided missiles overnight, out of which 146 were shot down with air defences.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its defences downed 140 drones overnight. As per regional emergency officials, a woman was killed when a Ukrainian drone hit an apartment building in the Belgorod region, neighbouring Ukraine.

Seeking more sanctions on Russia

Zelenskyy said he had pressed for tougher sanctions on Russia, including its shadow fleet. He also held talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on bolstering Ukraine's air defences.

"All of our partners now note that Ukraine's positions on the front are significantly stronger, and so our diplomacy, which we are working to step up, must proceed from that," Zelenskyy said. "Unfortunately, Russia is trying to make up for its enormous battlefield losses with strikes on our cities and communities, and on civilian infrastructure", he added.

In Brussels, Von der Leyen announced proposals for new sanctions against Russia targeting its energy, financial and trade sectors, including fisheries for the first time, with a ban on cod, among other measures.

She also proposed banning EU entry for "anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war" to ensure that Europe stays off-limits "for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine."

The sanctions must be endorsed by the 27 EU member countries before they can come into force.

On Monday, Zelenskyy said he had held positive talks with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a stopover at an airport in Moldova's capital, describing them as focused on ending the war.

In a social media post, he said the two sides discussed diplomatic prospects ahead of this month's Group of Seven summit, and that he had briefed the US side on Ukraine's assessment of Russian intentions.
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