It took the world 11 years of Russia's war with Ukraine, including over three years of the full-scale invasion, to finally say it out loud: "We are not doing enough."
As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently told U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, "We need to produce more weaponry. We (the U.S. and EU) are lagging behind when you compare it to the Russians and the Chinese."
The era of peace inherited by today's global leaders is over. A new era of rearmament has already begun. And with it, a new global security architecture is being formed. But the question is: What awill it look like — and what will Ukraine's place be in it?
Today, many are still asking whether Ukraine can survive without U.S. support. The question that we should be asking, however, is how Ukraine can enhance its cooperation with the U.S. defense industry to make this partnership work.
This includes strengthening the role of Ukraine's private defense sector.
Four years into the full-scale war, global instability is forcing Ukraine to reevaluate its defense strategy.
Ukraine's private defense industry has already shown an impressive ability to scale up and deliver new tech solutions. However, simply increasing production is not enough; full-scale procurement is needed. That means improving domestic defense procurement and granting export licenses to manufacturers.
Kollen Post
These measures will reduce production costs for Ukraine's military and bring critical revenues to Ukraine's state budget. Controlled exports of Ukrainian defense technology and equipment to allied countries is a must.
The next step should be building strategic partnerships with the U.S. defense companies on the principle of mutual interdependence.
American startups are investing billions into the drones' production, which the Pentagon considers vital for future warfare. But, their products are expensive and often underperform. While the U.S. manufactures up to 100,000 drones annually, Ukraine's private sector has already scaled production to over 3 million annually.
"All of Europe is the target of Russian aggression. We are all front-line member states."
Ukrainian companies are eager to share their expertise, and the Pentagon has shown interest. Now is the time to build on this demand and supply — based on exports, joint ventures, b2b partnerships, and co-development of military technology.
Ukrainian manufacturers are also making progress in component localization. For example, Vyriy Drone recently unveiled its first batch of 1,000 fully Ukraine-made FPV drones — with no Chinese parts. This alone stands as a case for U.S. procurement of Ukrainian drones.
We are now at a historic crossroads, where Ukraine has the opportunity to establish a relationship with the White House not as an aid recipient but as a strategic security partner with valuable contributions to offer.
Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, opened a recent debate on the EU's new defense strategy with a warning: "This is the greatest security crisis of our lifetimes. And we must now take the great decisions. All of Europe is the target of Russian aggression. We are all front-line member states."
Without a new European security system, there will be no victory over Russia and no lasting peace. The EU finally understands this. In March, it introduced the ReArm Europe plan — a staggering 800 billion euro vision for ramping up European defense spending and production over the next few years.
The EU Commission presented the Joint White Paper for European Defense Readiness 2030. The document envisions the creation of a Single Defense Market and designates an important role for Ukraine in it. The White Paper emphasizes a long-overdue shift: Ukraine shall be integrated into the European defense industry.
The U.K. is rearming, too. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced the biggest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, aiming for 2.6% of GDP expenditure by 2027.
Europe is now taking the path Ukraine has been walking since 2014. It should leverage Ukraine's experience, innovation, and technology to the benefit of our shared defense and security.
The European Commission has outlined seven key investment priorities: drones, ammunition, and missiles. These are all areas where Ukraine has unique expertise gained due to the ongoing war.
Our partners must go beyond providing military assistance to Ukraine. They must expand production with Ukraine's manufacturers, co-develop new technologies, and field-test them with Ukraine's defense forces.
Changing up is hard. But Ukraine's painful experience can help change Europe and become a pillar of the continent's security.
Integrating Ukraine into the global defense ecosystem isn't a bonus. It's a necessity — one that could shape the outcome of this war.
The free world can no longer rely on weapons made by dictatorships. Ukraine is capable of not only holding the line but also export security globally.
Kollen Post
