Ukrainian defence makers open UARM Hub in Brussels to look for EU partners and money

Ukrainian makers of drones and other military technology have opened their own office in Brussels, called UARM Hub, dev.ua reports. Through it, the companies plan to find European partners, raise money for their products and speak for the Ukrainian defence industry in the EU.

The team will work on the obstacles that keep Ukrainian products off the European market, such as complex procurement procedures, testing requirements and the rules for funding defence projects. It will also try to protect makers' rights to their own designs in joint projects.

The hub is preparing two studies: one on how the Ukrainian defence market is structured, and a white paper on which rules and procedures should change so that Ukrainian and European companies can run joint defence projects more easily.

At the opening, Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, pointed to the close work between Ukrainian developers and the military and suggested turning UARM Hub into a kind of academy for European makers. Klaus Welle, his special adviser, said Ukraine could soon become a "security donor for Europe".