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Ukraine must rely on military-technical cooperation with NATO countries, which will ensure a technological advantage over Russia in the future.
This opinion was expressed by the First Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Institute for Security Studies, Volodymyr Horbulin, in an interview with Ukrinform.
When asked about finding a balanced solution between Ukraine’s desire for a “quick victory” and the Western partners’ focus on “managing escalation risks,” the academician replied: “The solution undoubtedly lies in the potential of military-technical cooperation.”
“This involves not only the powerful and large-scale integration of Ukraine’s defense industry into the Euro-Atlantic defense-industrial space but also acquiring the necessary technologies to ensure future technological superiority. Additionally, the entry of Western businesses into Ukraine will allow the country to fully transition to modern equipment, both Western and joint Ukrainian-Western production. This will also lay the groundwork for security guarantees before Ukraine attains full NATO membership,” Horbulin explained.
He emphasized that the West would seek to protect its businesses established in Ukraine, which could pave the way for serious discussions about NATO or individual bloc member countries establishing military bases in Ukraine. Horbulin does not rule out the creation of subregional military-political alliances, such as between Ukraine, Poland, the UK, and the Baltic countries.
“To some extent, military-technical cooperation is simultaneously a path for Ukraine towards long-term security and economic growth, largely through advanced defense technologies. Furthermore, this cooperation offers an opportunity to push Russia out of several regional arms markets, which would undoubtedly contribute to long-term technological deterrence,” the academician noted.
Horbulin also supports the creation of a unified technology development center, as directed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The 170 types of drones in the Ukrainian Armed Forces are both an achievement and a challenge, as resources are spread too thin. There needs to be unification, with a reduction to two or three dozen types over the next few years. This applies to many other areas of weapons development and production as well,” he stated.
As reported earlier, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced during the Defense Industries Forum that the government has allocated 65% more funding for the procurement of weapons and military equipment in the 2025 state budget compared to this year.
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