Among the participants were:
- Andrii Lebedenko — Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Arsen Zhumadilov — Director of the Defense Procurement Agency;
- Davyd Aloian — Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine;
- Oleh Tsilvik — Head of the State Service of Export Control of Ukraine;
- Hanna Hvozdiar — Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine;
- Viktor Rudenko — Acting Director of the Innovation Development Fund.
The discussion focused on the practical aspects of the new defense export framework, government procurement planning, cooperation between manufacturers and the Armed Forces, and ways to help Ukraine’s defense industry scale while maintaining its focus on the needs of the front line.
For manufacturers, the issue is about gaining access to international markets, attracting investment, developing joint production projects, and building new technology partnerships.
For the government, it is about striking the right balance between strengthening Ukraine’s defense industrial base, meeting the needs of the Armed Forces, ensuring effective export controls, and maintaining responsibility for the end use of defense products.
Ukraine’s defense industry has already become one of the country’s key sources of technological advantage. To scale that advantage, however, Ukraine needs clear and predictable regulations, efficient procedures, access to capital, and continuous dialogue between the government, the military, and defense manufacturers.
