Kyiv, December 13. The conference “European Defense Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defense Industry” was organized by the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists of the European Parliament in collaboration with the We Build Ukraine Foundation. The event included participation from members of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defense, Ukrainian parliamentarians, military officials, representatives from partner countries and manufacturing companies, as well as members of the public and volunteer organizations.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science, and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation, urged European partners to collaborate with Ukraine. He highlighted the success of the Brave 1 cluster, which has already registered over 3,200 developments. Over the past three years, Ukraine has seen the emergence of more than 500 defense manufacturers — one of the highest growth rates globally.
“Ukraine, with its battlefield-tested technologies, can become the foundation of the European security system. Our experience, combined with European capabilities, technologies, and support, can provide innovative solutions. Together, we can establish new defense standards to ensure stability, security, and peace,” said Fedorov.
MEP Michal Dworczyk emphasized that collaboration with Ukraine's defense industry could significantly boost innovation across the European defense sector.
“To this end, the European Union's defense strategy and the EDIP program were established to develop long-term mechanisms for strengthening the defense sector and creating a unified European defense industry complex. At the same time, we must support start-ups and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It’s also critical to allocate appropriate funding to countries on NATO's eastern flank. Unfortunately, the current budget of €1.5 billion is symbolic and insufficient to meet actual needs,” stressed Dworczyk.
Kateryna Chernogorenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Transformation, highlighted the growing interest from international partners in Ukrainian technological developments. She emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating:
“We are building two coalitions as part of the Ramstein framework: the IT Coalition and the Drone Coalition. The countries participating in these coalitions enhance each other by sharing combat experience and advanced technologies. For example, while we receive UAV assistance from our partners, they, in turn, refine and expand their technical capabilities, using Ukraine as a benchmark. Currently, Ukraine has over 500 UAV manufacturers capable of producing more than 3 million drones annually, with this capacity continuing to grow thanks to international investor interest, joint ventures, and global tenders. The world is watching our innovations and battlefield performance closely.”
Oleksandr Kubrakov, co-founder of the We Build Ukraine Foundation, emphasized the strategic potential of the defense sector for Ukraine's long-term industrial and economic development, as outlined in the Strategy for Economic Transformation of Ukraine, developed in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
“Ukraine has the opportunity to become a European technology hub, fully integrated into Western innovation networks through localized joint ventures and long-term commitments. However, to achieve this, we and our partners must consider each other’s needs when planning industrial projects and defense production. A comprehensive understanding of supply chains is essential to ensure the security of the entire continent,” Kubrakov concluded.
Oleksandra Azarkhina, head of the NGO “We build Ukraine”, who moderated the event, added that the victory of the free world will be possible when we have sufficient defense capabilities to protect ourselves at any time.
“Together with partners and like-minded people in the governmental and civil society sectors, in Ukraine and the European Union, we should work on creating a European Defense Industrial Alliance to strengthen collective defense capabilities, coordinate supply chains between Ukraine and the EU, while preventing critical components from reaching hostile countries, and launch joint industrial initiatives to strengthen the industrial base of Europe and Ukraine,” she added.