The Ukrainian-Polish Defence Industry Forum DFNC1: Polish Edition took place on 4 September. The event was organised by the Ministry of Strategic Industry of Ukraine and the Ministry of National Defence of Poland. The Forum brought together more than 150 participants, including representatives of government agencies, the diplomatic corps and representatives of more than 40 Polish and 55 Ukrainian defence companies.
The event was opened by representatives of both governments, including Sergiy Boyev, Deputy Minister of Strategic Industry of Ukraine, Oleksandr Serhiy, Deputy Minister of Defence, Pawel Bejda, Deputy Minister of National Defence of Poland, and Marcin Kulasek, Secretary of State in the Ministry of State Property.
The Forum discussed promising areas of cooperation, including co-production of defence equipment, the possibility of technology transfer and the launch of joint defence projects.
The Polish side presented its key defence companies, including Huta Stalowa Wola S.A., OBRUM Sp. z o.o., Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia S.A., as well as other companies involved in the production of weapons, equipment and military technologies. Ukrainian companies, including Ukrainian Defence Industry JSC and private defence companies, also presented their latest achievements and innovative developments.
The joint B2B sessions allowed Ukrainian and Polish defence companies to establish direct contacts, discuss certain business proposals and identify possible areas for further cooperation. The sessions focused on joint production and technology exchange.
Sergiy Boyev told the participants about the dynamics of the Ukrainian defence sector and announced a new event in the DFNC series.
"DFNC Week' will take place in Kyiv in early October. It will be a defence industry forum bringing together representatives of partner governments and defence companies interested in or already engaged in various forms of cooperation with Ukrainian defence companies. The event will provide an opportunity for high-level discussions on the interests and challenges associated with current defence industry cooperation initiatives. It will also serve as a platform to discuss specific business and industrial needs in a business meeting format," said Sergiy Boyev.
The event was held as part of the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland Donald Tusk, which took place on 22 January 2024 in Kyiv. DFNC1: Polish edition has become an important milestone in the development of defence cooperation between Ukraine and Poland.