Ukrainian industry chief warns European defence partnerships are slow to deliver

Only around ten of some 200 announced joint ventures between European and Ukrainian defence companies have led to concrete contracts, according to Ihor Fedirko, chief executive of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.

Fedirko told Dutch news agency ANP that cooperation, including with companies in the Netherlands, was struggling to get off the ground. The figures he cited cover Europe as a whole: ANP did not specify how many projects involved Dutch partners, the period covered or the criteria used for the count.

He blamed Ukrainian authorities for most of the difficulties. He also said the Netherlands was failing to press Ukraine for progress because it feared asking too much of the country.

There has been at least one Dutch-Ukrainian contract. In April, Dutch company VDL Defentec and Ukraine’s GreentechHarvest agreed to produce two types of Ukrainian drone in the Netherlands. The Dutch government said at the time that production was expected to begin later in 2026. It is unclear whether the project is included in Fedirko’s figures.

The Netherlands and Ukraine have sought closer defence industry ties, and Kyiv has promised to ease exports of weapons technology, ANP reported.