What Is the Perception of Defence Industrial Partnerships with the EDTIB by Non-EU Countries? The Case of Ukraine: Changing the Paradigm

The transition of the Russian-Ukrainian war into a confrontation of attrition puts forward new requirements for the development of the defence industry base of Ukraine and the EU, as well as for the most effective cooperation between the Ukrainian and European defence industries. The real situation on the frontline creates new impulses and paradigms for meeting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with an emphasis on high-tech weapons and military equipment that provide an « asymmetric » advantage over the enemy. In times of war, cooperation in the defence industry between Ukraine and the EU focuses on the immediate needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for both basic weapons (ammunition, artillery, armoured vehicles, air defence, etc.) and advanced high-tech systems used on the battlefield. Instead, participation in projects that have uncertain time, financial and technological frameworks is considered unreasonable. Further development of Ukraine’s cooperation with the EU in the defence industry should be built through the prism of the new EU Capability Development Plan and the joint European Defence Industry Strategy (EDIS), with a focus on projects involving and coordinated by the European Defence Agency. In addition, the introduction of cooperation models based on the example of the Accelerator and Brave1 Ukrainian platforms could be effective. This could create new opportunities for the development of bilateral projects between Ukrainian and European defence companies to achieve concrete practical results in the shortest possible time.