Polish-Ukrainian defence-industrial cooperation accelerates amid systemic bottlenecks

Defence24 Days 2026, held in Warsaw on 6–7 May, became a platform for strategic dialogue between representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian governments and defence industries. Its culmination was the panel “Industrial–Defence Cooperation Between Poland and Ukraine: Challenges and Prospects,” which shed light on where the two countries stand today, and where their cooperation is heading.

Growing openness on both sides

Significant milestones have already been reached on both sides. As Oleg Babenko, Director of Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry at UMO, noted, “half a year ago there was no cooperation strategy” on either side. Today, however, Ukraine is far more open to technology sharing, while Poland has simplified testing and procurement rules for autonomous systems through Decision No. 123/MON. According to Babenko, “the most important thing is that Ukrainian and Polish engineers are finally working together.”

This openness to technology sharing was reiterated by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olexandr Mischenko, who said that “Ukraine is ready to share its experience from this bloody war.” He noted that there are no longer major political obstacles to deeper cooperation, as both countries now share a “clear understanding” of its importance. What is still missing, however, are the procedures and mechanisms needed to translate this political will into practical cooperation.

Bottlenecks: regulation, mobility and coordination

In this context, Dmytro Shymkiv, Director of Strategic Initiatives of Ukrainian AeroDrone, suggested that Poland and Ukraine could draw inspiration from the closely integrated defence-industrial cooperation model between the United States and Canada, thanks to such agreements as the Defence Production Sharing Agreement (DPSA). He warned that regulatory barriers continue to slow down cooperation and technological scaling. One of the proposed solutions was the creation of a dedicated cross-border mobility scheme for soldiers, engineers and defence specialists, enabling faster and more flexible exchanges between the two countries.

Shymkiv’s remarks were echoed by his Polish counterpart, Jacek Aleksander Zygmunt, Advisor to the Management Board of PONAR Wadowice S.A., who argued that “Besides understanding and common political will, the legal system must be adapted to a situation requiring rapid action — and this still has not happened.”

As an example of legal divergence, he pointed to Polish arms-production regulations requiring certificates confirming the non-criminal status of partner companies, while Ukrainian law does not provide for criminal liability of collective entities. This and similar issues, he noted, show that there remains “a lot of room for systemic improvements” — and that “There is no one problem and no one panacea.”

Speaking about future potential, Shymkiv highlighted several of Poland’s structural advantages for defence-industrial cooperation with Ukraine: a strong industrial base, easier access to testing grounds, and greater openness among public agencies than elsewhere in Europe. At the same time, he pointed to the absence of a “centralised point of cooperation,” arguing that Ukrainian companies often simply do not know where to turn when seeking partners in Poland.

All speakers agreed that both countries must create favourable regulatory and institutional conditions for business-to-business cooperation. As Babenko put it, once such an environment is in place, industry itself “will do the rest.” For him, however, “the most important thing is that there is cooperation — we will figure out the procedures later.”

Bohdana, drones and the next step in Gdańsk

The fact that this cooperation already exists and is accelerating, is reflected in recent announcements. In March, it was announced that a Polish-Ukrainian joint venture would begin manufacturing the Bohdana howitzer in Poland, a Ukrainian-developed system already battlefield-proven. Last month, the two countries also unveiled a joint project to create a so-called drone fleet, combining Polish financing with Ukrainian expertise.

Another opportunity to elevate Polish-Ukrainian defence-industrial cooperation will come with the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine in Gdańsk on 25–26 June 2026. This will be particularly significant as the conference is expected to place greater emphasis on strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities, including through a new Security and Defence dimension proposed by Poland.