POLITICO:
Pavlo Verkhniatskyi about the development of international cooperation in the defense industry

Published on POLITICO

In the interview for POLITICO, Pavlo Verkhniatskyi, Managing Partner at COSA, commented on the current issues of the strengthening of international cooperation in the defense sector and emphasized the importance of developing Ukraine’s own defense industry.

‘It’s a survival issue’: Ukraine looks to arm itself as Western support slips

Even as Russian bombs rain down, Kyiv seeks to show that it’s open for business.

Ukrainian officials are looking to Western defense firms for commitments that they’re willing to invest and build in Ukraine even before the fighting stops.

By PAUL MCLEARY and LARA SELIGMAN

In a hotel conference room in Kyiv late last week, Ukrainian leaders huddled with hundreds of defense industry officials and policymakers from allied countries. The message was clear: Ukraine is open for business.

Despite the specter of Russian missile fire in the Ukrainian capital, the International Industries Defense Forum was eerily similar to the panel-laden conferences that pop up many times a year in Washington and London. But the stakes were different for this one, as Ukraine finds its supporters running out of weapons to send while others are increasingly wary of committing more money to the conflict.

With the charm offensive directed at weapons-makers around the world, the country is effectively trying to take matters into its own hands.

“It’s a survival issue,” said Pavel Verkhniatskyi, managing partner at COSA Intelligence Solutions in Kyiv, since there is only so long Ukraine can expect to rely on donations from partners whose support can be switched off with a single election.

Kicking off the event, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the audience that co-production deals are “already being negotiated with our partners” and that he has established funding in the national budget to help finance those collaborations. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt also addressed the event, as did NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ukraine has long been an industrial giant, producing heavy machinery and engines for Russian navy ships and military helicopters, along with armored vehicles, aircraft, and small arms. Many of those production facilities have been damaged in the war. Still, Ukrainian officials are looking to Western defense firms for commitments that they’re willing to invest and build in Ukraine even before the fighting stops.

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