Ukraine now has experience that cannot be gained on training grounds—years of countering the Russian army, practical weapons testing, and its own technological developments. European countries possess significant financial resources, industrial capacity, and a technological base.
Combining these capabilities could form the basis of a new model of defense partnership that would strengthen not only Ukraine but Europe as a whole, UNN writes.
This was precisely the idea expressed at the Open Arms Fest 2026 in Oslo. The event, held on October 29–31, brought together Ukrainian defense companies, government and industry representatives, experts, and artists. More than ten Ukrainian manufacturers presented their defense technologies, while the festival program included discussions on defense cooperation, business opportunities, hybrid warfare, information security, and societal resilience.
Ukraine has the experience—Europe has the resources
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Yevhenii Khmara, addressed the festival participants. He emphasized that over the years of full-scale war, Ukraine’s defense industry has become one of the most dynamic in the world.
Weapons make sense only when they protect people’s lives, freedom, and values. Over the years of full-scale war, Ukraine’s defense industry has become one of the most dynamic in the world. Our companies develop, test, and improve solutions not on training grounds but on the front line. And they do this in weeks, not years. Europe has capital, production capacity, a technological base, and standards. Ukraine has combat experience, speed, and people who know what works today and what will work tomorrow. Therefore, cooperation with the European defense industry is a matter of security for us
He explained that combining these capabilities should become the basis for further cooperation.
We are open to joint production, joint ventures, investments in production in Ukraine and in your countries, as well as joint development and the exchange of battlefield experience. Every joint venture and every new production line strengthen deterrence against the aggressor not only for Ukraine but also for the Nordic and Baltic countries
According to him, Russia is waging war not only with missiles and drones but also for people’s minds, attempting to influence societal unity and states’ readiness to defend themselves.
It strikes at trust in institutions, at the unity of societies, and at their readiness to defend themselves. That is why it is important to begin building our resilience in the cognitive domain and counter hostile influence. After all, your societies are targets of the same influence operations. Therefore, I urge you to make maximum use of these days to build cooperation
Russia is already testing Europe’s readiness to defend itself
For the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltic region, the issue of defense cooperation with Ukraine is of particular importance. These states are in direct geographical proximity to Russia and Belarus and have recently been regularly confronted with various manifestations of Russian military and hybrid activity.
In particular, in December 2025, Kyrylo Budanov, who at the time held the position of head of the HUR, said that Moscow was significantly accelerating the timeline for possible aggression against EU countries, viewing the European community as "weak and divided." According to intelligence data, the Kremlin moved the possible attack timeline forward from 2030 to 2027.
Of course, this assessment does not mean that an attack will necessarily take place in 2027. But in Europe, increasing attention is being paid to the buildup of Russia’s military potential and the need to further strengthen defense.
The fact that Russia is already creating security problems for European states is also demonstrated by specific incidents. In October, the Romanian Air Force detected and shot down two unidentified drones near the southeastern border with Ukraine over the Black Sea.
In September, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace. Following this, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that the intrusion of Russian military aircraft into the country’s airspace was bringing the Baltic states closer to armed conflict than at any time in recent years.
Moreover, the threat is not limited to direct military provocations. russia uses disinformation, cyberattacks and other instruments of influence aimed at weakening trust in state institutions and dividing European societies.
Therefore, Ukraine’s experience may be useful to European partners not only in the field of weapons development, but also in countering hybrid threats, protecting the information space and enhancing societal resilience.
International Festivals as a Platform for Building New Defence Partnerships
In this context, international events such as Open Arms Fest are becoming an important tool for developing cooperation between the Ukrainian and European defence industries. Among other things, such platforms allow Ukrainian manufacturers to communicate directly with potential customers, investors and representatives of the European defence sector.
Military expert Ivan Stupak said in a comment to UNN that international exhibitions give companies an opportunity to demonstrate their own technologies, assess the offerings of other manufacturers and identify promising areas for cooperation.
International exhibitions are intended to show who has what, what technologies and developments they offer, and what prospects for cooperation exist
According to him, a significant part of the work takes place away from the exhibition stands. Negotiations are held behind the scenes, agreements and prospects for attracting investment are discussed, as are future contracts. Moreover, potential investors may include not only companies in the defence sector, but also representatives of other industries interested in investing in promising technologies.
At the same time, it must be understood that competition in the international defence market is extremely high. There is a powerful defence lobby in Europe and around the world that may obstruct the conclusion of contracts with Ukrainian manufacturers or create additional difficulties for them. There is also a risk that foreign companies will try to lure away Ukrainian scientists, developers and engineers in order to use their knowledge and experience for their own interests. We must be prepared for these challenges. Nevertheless, participation in such events is still necessary, as it is an opportunity to make oneself known, find partners and enter new markets
In his view, the speed of development and the decentralised production model constitute a particular value of Ukraine’s experience. Ukraine’s defence industry is forced to seek ways to manufacture weapons even under the constant threat of Russian strikes. To this end, modern technologies are used, including 3D printing, small production sites and dispersed facilities.
Another important aspect is the possibility of organising joint production with European partners. It is currently difficult to build new factories and invest significant funds in production infrastructure in Ukraine, since even enterprises in the western part of the country may become targets of Russian attacks. In such a situation, investments worth millions of dollars risk being destroyed. That is why establishing joint production facilities in the territory of the European Union may be a practical solution. International exhibitions help find partners for such cooperation, discuss the terms and lay the foundation for future agreements
At the same time, the development of defence cooperation outside Ukraine also creates certain challenges. In particular, this concerns the fact that if our engineers, developers and workers create added value in the territory of other countries, those countries themselves will receive a significant share of the economic benefits – jobs, taxes and industrial development.
Therefore, initiatives such as Open Arms Fest demonstrate that Ukrainian Defence Tech is gradually becoming part of a broader European security dialogue. For Ukraine, this is an opportunity to attract investment, find partners, and scale up its own developments. For European states, it means gaining access to technologies and experience shaped by the conditions of the largest war in Europe since the Second World War.
"Ukraine's largest export to Europe is time" — Fire Point CEO12.09.26, 11:20