Ukraine’s Enhanced Partnership with the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has significant potential, and Ukraine is ready to deepen it across a number of areas. Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara said this while addressing participants at a JEF meeting.
The Defence Minister thanked all participating countries for their support.
“Ukraine is ready to build a mutually beneficial partnership with you. We need it. The security of our region needs it. And the entire continent needs it. This partnership is about our shared future,” Khmara said.
The Defence Minister outlined specific areas for deepening cooperation between Ukraine and the JEF.
Khmara stressed that Ukraine’s experience directly overlaps with the JEF’s mandate, including countering UAVs and hybrid threats in the Baltic and North Atlantic regions, protecting underwater infrastructure and countering Russia’s shadow fleet.
“We see how Russia uses drones for reconnaissance, sabotage and strikes on infrastructure. And we have already developed solutions that work in real combat,” Khmara said.
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The Defence Minister noted that Ukraine has developed battlefield-proven solutions, including mass-produced, low-cost interceptor drones, detection systems, and the integration of data from multiple sources into a single real-time picture of the airspace.
Khmara said these technologies and Ukraine’s practical experience are precisely what is needed to protect the Baltic Sea and critical underwater infrastructure from the same threats that JEF countries are already facing.
Ukraine is ready to deepen its Enhanced Partnership with the JEF using models that are already working in bilateral formats. These include Drone Deal agreements, which allow Ukraine to begin exporting drone technologies; the Train with Ukraine programme; and the Build with Ukraine programme, which provides for the joint production of drones and counter-drone systems. A number of such projects are already underway with JEF members.
Khmara said Ukraine proposes using the JEF’s unique geography and technological capabilities to turn Ukrainian combat experience into concrete defence solutions today.
The Joint Expeditionary Force is a multinational force established in 2015 at the initiative of the United Kingdom. Its members also include Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
