In an interview with the "Єдині новини" telethon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced a non-obvious but critically important aspect of international support for Kyiv. The head of state stated that a number of countries are not interested in the development of their own Ukrainian ballistic and anti-ballistic technologies. According to Zelenskyy, one of the main reasons is competition in the global arms market, where the emergence of a new player could disrupt the established balance of interests.
Ukraine as a new player in the arms market
The President emphasized that the creation of Ukraine's own ballistic missile or anti-ballistic system would mean the emergence of a new powerful player in the arms market. "Many do not want us to have our own ballistics in Ukraine. Of course, Russia is number one. But there are not many people and companies in the world who want such a competitor," Zelenskyy said. According to him, there are currently only a few companies in Europe producing powerful air defense systems. Among them, he named NASAMS, produced by Norway and the USA, the German IRIS-T, as well as SAMP/T, created by France and Italy with the partner participation of the USA.
Economic interests versus political values
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that this is not about partners refusing to support Ukraine. According to him, in international relations, in addition to political interests and common values, there are also economic and business interests. "There is still money, there is business. Therefore, everything needs to be fought for and fought for," the President concluded. This statement indicates that Ukraine will have to actively lobby its interests on the international arena to gain access to technologies and financing for the development of its own military industry.
Development of Ukrainian technologies
As is known, the Ukrainian ballistic missile FP-7 is already undergoing certification at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The FP-7 missile has a strike modification that can be used to hit ground targets. As for anti-ballistics, the Ukrainian company Fire Point named the terms of the first interception of a ballistic missile within the framework of the Freyja project and told at what stage the development is. These projects demonstrate that Ukraine has the potential to create its own military technologies that can be competitive in the international market.
Contradictory data
On the one hand, Zelenskyy claims that Western partners are not interested in the development of Ukrainian military technologies due to competition. On the other hand, these same countries continue to provide Ukraine with military aid and support. This creates a contradiction between declared interests and real actions. Perhaps Western countries are trying to find a balance between supporting Ukraine and preserving their economic interests in the arms market.
Development prospects
Despite existing contradictions, Ukraine continues to develop its military technologies. This may lead to Ukraine becoming an important player in the arms market in the future, which will change the balance of power in the region. However, this will require not only technical development, but also active lobbying of interests on the international arena.
