Ukraine’s defense exports could reach several billion dollars in 2026, NSDC says
Ukraine could reach military export volumes worth several billion dollars this year after, for the first time since the start of the war, authorizing foreign sales.
At the same time, the country is considering introducing a tax on such exports, Davyd Aloian, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, told Reuters in an interview.
At the beginning of the month, the state commission responsible for licensing under martial law approved most of the roughly 40 applications from defense industry companies to sell materiel resources and services abroad.
After Russia’s 2022 invasion, the country halted arms sales abroad and relied heavily on support from partners while simultaneously ramping up its own production, including drones and missiles.
Aloian said that, taking into account finished products, components, parts, and services, the total value of exports could amount to several billion dollars. He stressed that export potential is now significantly higher than before the war, but meeting the needs of Ukraine’s Armed Forces remains the priority.
According to the official, Ukraine intends to prioritize supplies to its key allies and focus on joint projects with partners that make it possible to attract financing and technology, rather than relying solely on direct sales.
The possibility of introducing an export tax on defense products is also being considered to cover the army’s underfunded needs
As reported, Ukraine has resumed regulated arms exports: after an eight-month pause, the interagency commission on military-technical cooperation and export control held a meeting and granted the first permits to defense industry enterprises, while maintaining priority support for the Defense Forces.
"Controlled arms exports are about the security of the state and the development of our defense-industrial complex. They open the way to new security alliances and expanded international partnership," NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov said.
