Speech at the Defence & Resilience Tech Scale Up Showcase – an event under the auspices of Lady Mayor of London Susan Langley, which brought together dozens of British investors and companies in the field of defense technologies seeking to scale their developments.
As of the end of summer 2026, the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has no analogs since World War II. Starting from the second half of 2026, the scale of Russian air attacks increasingly shows signs of a total targeted destruction of Ukraine’s transportation, logistics, industrial, and social infrastructure.
| This is aimed not only at turning the tide in combat but also at extending these hostilities across the entire territory of the country to create a socio-economic, financial, and demographic crisis. The full text of the speech.
All this has become possible due to the continuation of the war and technological innovations, primarily through the use of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. I believe that this is why armies and Western states need to immediately adapt to new forms and methods of warfare to avoid catastrophe. It’s a broad field for investment on one hand, and a dead end built with bureaucracy and reluctance to change on the other. It’s nice to have verbal security guarantees and a quiet peaceful life, stable earnings on old contracts, and the same conditional security. Security where everyone relies on someone else. But I did not come here to teach you. I speak of Ukraine, which continues to fight because there is no other way. And about the hope for victory, which remains. |
Ukraine is grateful for every support package provided by our partners. This support is crucial for the ability to defend, survive, and for the security of the Euro-Atlantic space. A space where there is a struggle between the desire for cheap energy resources and the possibility of having one’s own freedom and security.
At the same time, for victory, or as it is now customary to say – to achieve a dignified peace, only systemic impact on Russia’s ability to continue the war is necessary. This systemic impact has nothing to do with individual technological solutions and event coverage in social networks. Systemic impact is the implementation of strategies to achieve the main goal: victory over the enemy.
Of course, building such a systemic influence is possible only with appropriate strategies. These strategies must be based on implementing financial and technological policies that allow producing today what is needed tomorrow, or better yet, the day after tomorrow. And what is needed today should be taken from storage as what was produced yesterday. Defense production should be part of the war strategy, not the other way around, where the war justifies someone’s promises and profits. Only in this way is it possible to seize the initiative, impose one’s will on the enemy, and demand something from them.
You heard two key definitions that absolutely concern everyone present here. Finance and technology are the foundation of future investments that can be placed in the Ukrainian experience, and as a consequence, in the European victory.
After all, certainly no one wants to repeat Ukraine’s fate. And this is something that may already be ending in Britain as a state, but is in sufficient quantity in the private sector. This private sector simply does not yet see everything I am talking about today. And I am not talking about marketing that does not yield results, except for media support and quick, easy super-profits. I am talking about investments. Investments in the future — financial and technological, as part of not only the strategy for Ukraine’s victory but also as a long-term investment in one’s own state defense capabilities and security.
Ukraine has created an almost entirely new and modern defense industry based on modern technologies. However, it is more of an experience in utilizing access to technologies and attempts to reduce their cost. An example of this is the transformation of drones into the main means of striking for ground forces. Ukraine has gained significant experience in drone production, but the component base, especially its production, remains outside of Ukraine, excluding any possibility for scaling and modernization in the future. A future where marketing yields to strategy and the contours of victory finally become visible.
Already now, these investments are vitally necessary in countering urgent threats such as ballistic missiles and reactive drones.
By the way, in my personal opinion, the reactive Shahed has demonstrated the evolution of technologies. From an expensive Cold War-era missile to a cheap missile for the war of machines. Yes, I am not mistaken, it is indeed a missile. However, a missile that is no longer the weapon of the chosen few.
Then I have a question: should the defense against this weapon be the defense of the chosen few due to its excessive cost? How will you defend yourself from this weapon when it is economically very expensive and impossible? Probably not. And the more we focus on technologies as a means for the struggle of the chosen and the wealthy, and the opportunity to profit from them today, the sooner we will become victims of the poor and dissatisfied in the future. Because their weapon is already as cheap and accessible as possible and has maximum deadly power.
Ukrainian companies are capable of quickly responding to battlefield needs and developing new types of weapons based on actual combat experience.
No other country can offer more relevant experience for the development of new weapons, modernization, and their application methods. However, the lack of technologies and funding does not allow the initiative to be seized from the hands of Russia and its partners.
Therefore, we urge our partners to increase financial and technological investments in arms production in Ukraine – not only to reduce Russia’s military potential, but also to strengthen our own defense capabilities.
State funding for defense innovations in Ukraine is limited. Therefore, private investments can and should become a beneficial solution for both parties. Establishing clear cooperation mechanisms with the United Kingdom at the institutional level will help attract private capital, technology, and ultimately create new markets and develop long-term cooperation between the defense industries of Ukraine and its partners.
