Grosu: Moldova Will Not Produce Drones for Ukraine

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu said after a closed-door session that the government is preparing legislative amendments that would allow certain types of defense equipment to be manufactured in Moldova. At the same time, he dismissed speculation that Moldova would produce drones for Ukraine, tvrmoldova.md reports. “I would very much like us to manufacture them for ourselves. We need them, including for dual-use purposes. They can be used in emergencies, for example, by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, as well as in agriculture,” Grosu said. Asked to clarify whether reports about drone production for Ukraine were accurate, the leader of the PAS replied: “No, of course not. Why would we? We would manufacture them for ourselves”. Moldova is considering several options for strengthening its capabilities to defend against drones and missiles that illegally enter the country’s airspace, including the possibility of manufacturing such equipment domestically. President Maia Sandu said this on Thursday at the Moldova Security Forum. “We have several projects, and there is no single approach. Work is underway on several fronts. One of them is the possibility of manufacturing equipment here at home. To that end, the government is working on legislative amendments, and I think the draft law will be submitted to Parliament for approval in the near future,” Sandu said. At the same time, Moldova is purchasing equipment abroad, both with its own funds and with support from external partners. “We are purchasing this equipment abroad using our own funds and those of our partners, wherever we can find it. There is a long waiting list for such equipment, and we are not at the front of that queue,” the president explained. Maia Sandu emphasized that Moldova is located in a region vulnerable from a security perspective and needs additional support to protect its airspace and population. “We are in a vulnerable area, so we need additional support to provide our citizens with more reliable protection,” the head of state said. In June this year, Maia Sandu announced that Moldova intended to develop its own production capabilities for interceptor drones to counter unmanned aerial vehicles violating the country’s airspace. To this end, the government is preparing legislative amendments that would allow public-private partnerships to be established and foreign investment to be attracted to the defense industry.