Ukraine, Netherlands determine cooperation priorities in defense industry for 2025

Ukrainian Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin and the representatives of the Government and the Armed Forces of the Netherlands have discussed the areas of defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Smetanin, as a strong and reliable partner, the Netherlands has been providing assistance to Ukraine since the early days of the Russian full-scale invasion. In particular, this refers to the ZBROYARI initiative, the supply of F-16 fighter jets, cooperation agreements signed with Ukrainian defense industry companies, and other areas of support.

“We spoke about industrial partnerships in the field of defense industry. We determined the focus of cooperation for the next year, in particular with regard to the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production. I am convinced that this cooperation will help not only to produce more weapons in Ukraine, but also to deepen the integration of Ukraine’s defense industry into the defense and industrial base of NATO,” Smetanin added.

A reminder that, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Caspar Veldkamp, the Netherlands announced a new EUR 209.5 million support package aimed at restoring Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

Photo: Herman Smetanin, Telegram