How France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway plan to develop defence cooperation with Ukraine. Insights from the TFUA forum

Last week, Tech Force of UA held its first international event in Lviv – the Joint Ventures, Joint Defence forum. On 27 August, a closed demonstration of the capabilities of leading arms manufacturers took place at the training ground, and the next day, the main part of the forum was held with the participation of companies from the defence industry, defence start-ups, investors, officials from the EU and NATO, as well as other representatives of the defence ecosystem. Defender Media attended the event and spoke with foreign guests about cooperation with Ukraine in the defence sector.

The official part of Joint Ventures, Joint Defence took place at LvivTech.City on 28 August. Representatives of leading Ukrainian and foreign defence companies, as well as guests from many countries, representatives of NATO and diplomatic missions, spoke at the forum. The event featured the premiere of Quantum Systems‘ film ‘On the Front Lines of Innovation.’ The event also presented the first comprehensive study on the Ukrainian private asymmetric weapons industry.

A special feature of the forum was the space dedicated to opportunities for Ukrainian manufacturers. This space included seven stands representing strategic partner countries seeking to develop high-tech cooperation with Ukraine. Defender Media spoke with some representatives of foreign delegations.

France

The French stand featured representatives of GICAT, an association comprising 480 French defence companies. GICAT has already begun cooperating with Ukrainian companies. In July 2025, the association held an innovation forum and business sessions in Kyiv with the participation of 35 French and 50 Ukrainian companies.

According to GICAT representative Volodymyr Zhmak, three joint projects are already being implemented, but the details have not yet been disclosed. However, Zhmak noted that the association is working very closely with Fire Point, Ukrspetsystems, and other players in Ukraine’s defence technology market.

Denmark

No industry event attended by international partners is complete without mention of the so-called ‘Danish model’. Denmark, which is also one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, was naturally represented at Joint Ventures, Joint Defence, with a separate stand.

Danish government representative Eva Martsen says the Danes sincerely wish Ukraine victory. At the same time, any financial assistance from Denmark to Ukrainian companies is not directly aimed at developing Ukrainian business but primarily at ensuring that the military on the front lines has enough weapons. ‘Weapons, weapons, weapons,’ say the Danes.

The Netherlands

Another loyal partner of Ukraine is the Netherlands. Defender Media spoke with Wouter Hollander, Executive Director of the newly established Dutch Defence Cluster (DDC) – a strategic initiative aimed at supporting Dutch defence tech companies in entering the Ukrainian market and cooperating with Ukrainian players.

After a career in management consulting, Hollander moved to Kyiv in 2024 to focus on humanitarian initiatives. In early 2025, he joined Tulip Tech as a director while also managing a Ukrainian NGO, and later that year he founded the Dutch Defence Cluster. He says this experience has given him deep knowledge of defence technology and international partnership building.

Hollander notes that the Dutch Defence Cluster provides Dutch companies with all the support they need to succeed in Ukraine and, vice versa, also helps Ukrainian companies enter the Dutch market. ‘We saw that there was a great need for such support. There was no such initiative before,’ says Wouter.

This month, the cluster aims to bring an entire pavilion of Dutch start-ups to Defence Tech Valley.

Norway

Another international business institute of a similar model, which recently opened in Kyiv, is the Norwegian-Ukrainian Business Hub, launched by the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (NUCC) in partnership with the government organisation Innovation Norway. The Norwegians have dubbed the hub the centre of the ‘Northern Approach of Doing Business’. Its goal is to promote the development of the potential of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the country, including dual-use enterprises.

In addition, representatives and attachés from the embassies of the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as representatives of the European Defence Fund, attended the event. Defender Media wrote about the European Defence Fund and the opportunities it offers Ukrainian innovators in spring 2025.