"We need to support the Ukrainian defence industry (which is the most cost-effective and the most adapted to war conditions of anywhere in Europe), but also to make Ukraine part of European supply chains and involve the most knowledge-intensive and innovative European industries in building common security," shared Oleksandra Azarkhina, Head of the Defence Industries Initiatives at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU), in interview to Brussels Institute for Geopolitics (BIG).
To achieve this, Azarkhina advocates for an International Defence Procurement Agency — a joint venture with allied nations designed to unify procurement for Ukraine’s defence needs.
“It is through such instruments, which require nations to at least partially relinquish their protectionist policies in the defence sector and enter a common competitive market, that I see the way to overcome the fragmentation of the European defence industry and, ultimately, to improve our shared effectiveness”, Olexandra concluded.
Read the full interview here: https://big-europe.eu/publications/2025-12-01-four-big-questions-for-oleksandra-azarkhina