Europe has much to learn from Ukraine: Andrius Kubilius on Ukraine’s wartime experience and the future of European defense
Kyiv • UNN
European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said that the European defense industry should adopt Ukraine’s experience of rapidly implementing innovations.
The European defense industry must learn from Ukraine’s speed, innovativeness, and ability to adapt to the conditions of modern warfare. At the same time, Ukrainian defense technologies are already becoming the foundation of joint projects capable of strengthening the security of the entire European Union. European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said this in an interview. Read UNN’s article on how Ukraine’s wartime experience is changing Europe’s approach to defense.
Details
Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has forced the Ukrainian defense industry to operate under conditions in which the speed of developing, testing, and improving weapons is of critical importance. By contrast, European defense institutions and decision-making mechanisms were shaped over decades to operate in peacetime.
Now, as European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius acknowledges, it is not enough for Europe simply to increase weapons production. Its industry and institutions must adopt Ukraine’s dynamism and innovativeness in order to meet the challenges of the modern era.
At the same time, such cooperation creates opportunities for both sides: Europe gains access to Ukraine’s practical experience, while Ukraine gains access to European production processes, technologies, and financial resources.
Kubilius cited the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance as one example of such cooperation. It brought together Ukrainian and European defense companies to jointly develop and produce unmanned systems.
The first meeting of this Drone Alliance (ed. Ukraine Drone Alliance) showed that there are genuinely very good and attractive opportunities to do certain things together. This creates opportunities for Europeans to learn and for Ukrainians to also study European industrial processes, European financial opportunities, and so on. Therefore, I believe that this process of learning through practical cooperation is truly very important
The Drone Alliance was officially launched in July 2026, and its participants held their first meeting in Brussels on September 11. Eighteen companies from Ukraine and European countries joined the initiative. Its goal is to accelerate the development of new unmanned technologies, establish joint production facilities, and strengthen the capabilities of the defense industry.
FREYJA: a Ukrainian development for the protection of all Europe
Another example of how Ukrainian defense technologies can strengthen Europe’s security is the Freyja project. It involves creating a joint anti-ballistic system capable of countering Russian ballistic missiles.
Testing of the FP-7.x missile (frame from the video)
The project is led by the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, which is developing the FP-7.x interceptor missile. European partners are contributing to the creation of other components of the future system, including radar systems, guidance, and control systems.
According to Kubilius, European ministers are already expressing high hopes for the project’s successful implementation.
We hear representatives of various European countries, including ministers, speak with great hope about the project led by Ukrainians, the company Fire Point—the so-called Freyja project to create anti-ballistic systems. They very much hope that this project will develop successfully. It would be a very, very significant contribution not only to Ukraine but also to all the countries of the European Union, which are sorely lacking such capabilities
Let us remind you
Ukraine has already fulfilled its part of the commitments under the project. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this.
What Ukraine had to do, it has done, and that is good news
To implement the project, Ukraine initiated the creation of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, which brought together ten countries and leading European defense companies. Fire Point, Kongsberg, Saab, Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, Thales, Leonardo, and other manufacturers have, in particular, joined work on the FREYJA system.