Ukraine secures access to EU defence grants under new €300 million pact

Ukraine has signed two agreements with the European Union that will give its defence companies access to EU research grants and a €300 million support package aimed at expanding the country's defence industrial capacity, a senior Ukrainian official said.

The agreements were signed during the EU–Ukraine Defence Industry Forum with European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, according to a statement by Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.

Under the deals, Ukrainian defence companies will be eligible to apply for research and development funding through the European Defence Fund (EDF) and production scale-up grants under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).

Fedorov said the agreements would help expand Ukraine's defence innovation sector, attract grant funding and support start-ups while fostering closer integration between the Ukrainian and European defence industries through joint research and development projects.

The EDIP framework also includes a dedicated Ukraine Support Instrument worth €300 million. According to Fedorov, €260 million will be allocated to increasing manufacturing capacity, while €35.3 million will support defence innovation through the BraveTech EU Ukraine Support Instrument programme.

Under the initiative, Ukraine's defence technology platform Brave1 will provide grants of up to €200,000 for projects at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above, with grant funding covering up to 100% of eligible project costs.

Fedorov said the BraveTech EU programme, established under the EDF, had become the first joint EU-Ukraine initiative focused on defence innovation and would be expanded to include grant opportunities for both Ukrainian and EU-based companies through the Ukraine Support Instrument.

The agreements are subject to ratification by Ukraine's parliament before they can enter into force.

Fedorov said Ukraine's defence industry had become a driver of technological innovation in modern warfare and that the new partnership would help strengthen the security of both Ukraine and Europe.

By Aghakazim Guliyev