President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that uncoordinated arms exports by Ukrainian companies risk undermining the country’s war effort, as Kyiv pushes for long-term defense partnerships.
Speaking to journalists on April 2 at a briefing attended by Kyiv Post, Zelensky discussed cases of foreign buyers being approached by Ukrainian-linked firms operating without government coordination.
“I spoke with a leader of one Middle Eastern country. He named a company he had agreed with to purchase our interceptors, but had not yet paid,” Zelensky said.
“He told me: ‘Explain to me — I don’t understand. The company is Ukrainian, but it is based in Spain… Are you going to train us?’ I said: ‘No, we will not train you or anyone else if our state has not received the money.’”
Zelensky said the logic of allowing arms exports during wartime is to generate revenue that can be reinvested into weapons for Ukraine’s front lines, but warned that some companies attempt to bypass state oversight.
“It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “This is not just business… Our military tested these drones, fought with them, improved them. You have to respect what our soldiers have done.”
He added that arms exports must be coordinated at the state level to ensure both battlefield effectiveness and national security.
“We are at war. The state must determine what exports are allowed to strengthen defense first,” Zelensky said, adding that weapons systems require integration with software, expertise and broader air defense architecture to function effectively.
The remarks echo Zelensky’s recent criticisms of Ukrainian drone factories that are setting up shop abroad to bypass export regulations.
“I know of around 10 factories that were built behind the state’s back in different parts of the world – just so that, God forbid, they wouldn’t be losing out on anything. [Though] I think they’ll be losing out,” he said.
The president contrasted Ukraine’s approach with Western defense procurement, where governments tightly regulate arms deals. Referring to talks with US defense giant Raytheon Technologies, Zelensky said delivery timelines remained subject to political approval.
“They say: ‘We are a free country, it’s a [business-to-business] B2B contract.’ We agree on quantities… they say we will receive it in 2030,” he said.
“I ask: ‘Can it be 2027?’ They answer: ‘The White House.’ ‘2028?’ ‘The White House.’ ‘2029?’ ‘The White House.’”
He cited similar constraints in Europe, noting that potential purchases of systems such as SAMP-T or Swedish Gripen jets require government-level approval, which he described as “normal” practice.
Looking ahead, Zelensky said Ukraine is prioritizing long-term defense partnerships structured as government-to-government agreements spanning at least a decade.
“As of now, I want at least 10 contracts for 10 years — that’s billions for the development of our defense industry,” he said. “This is a major investment in our state.”
Zelensky added that Ukraine is expanding joint production abroad to safeguard manufacturing capacity from Russian attacks, with output intended primarily for Ukrainian needs.
At the same time, he outlined a wartime export strategy focused on countries that have already invested heavily in Ukraine’s defense sector, particularly in Europe.
He pointed to the “Danish model,” under which partners directly invested in Ukrainian companies and later launched joint production lines in countries including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Zelensky said interest is also growing from the Middle East, where countries are prepared to invest in long-term contracts and provide technologies Ukraine lacks.
“With the United States, we wanted to build the largest drone deal, bringing together all our production,” he said, adding that Kyiv seeks to secure 10-year production commitments for Ukrainian companies.
“If the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Defense Ministry have additional proposals regarding exports, I am only in favor,” Zelensky added.