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Ukraine faces hurdles in exporting defense technologies despite growing international demand Ukrainian manufacturers are already competing with leading international companies, including those from the US and Germany. Foreign firms are making efforts to attract Ukrainian experts to work at their defense enterprises, offering highly favorable cooperation terms. Ukrainian specialists have demonstrated a high level of expertise, but they still face restrictions when it comes to access to international markets, said former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov in an interview with Ukrainian political YouTube channel "Superposition." He specifically mentioned job offers coming from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “Today, we are already competitors with their manufacturers-American, German, and others. We are already more capable, but we are simply not physically allowed in. And at the political level, diplomats can’t secure this process,” Yekhanurov said. He stressed the importance of exporting Ukraine’s own developments, noting that international demand for cooperation with Ukrainian partners is significant. At the same time, questions remain about the exact mechanisms for such cooperation. Yekhanurov said he is now consulting with legal experts to understand how to move forward when it comes to sensitive technologies. “Some suggest we hide behind the topic of dual-use technologies and wait for better times. We’re all patriots and understand that there can’t be uncontrolled action. But at the same time, there’s a question, as one of my colleagues aptly put it during a seminar with military and decision-makers: whose names will these developments bear after the war-Chinese or American?” Yekhanurov emphasized. He believes the situation has already taken on practical dimensions, with foreign organizations making active efforts to attract Ukrainian talent. Specialists who have worked in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have already received offers to move their families, receive full financial support, and work in exchange for cooperation. Earlier, Mykolaiv Region Governor Vitalii Kim emphasized the critical need to expand Ukraine’s export structure, pointing out that the economy cannot remain dependent on a narrow set of goods and needs diversification. It was also previously reported that Ukraine’s Antimonopoly Committee rejected a bid from a UAE company to purchase a stake in defense manufacturer Fire Point-a deal involving roughly $760 million with the defense holding EDGE Group. https://www.uawire.org/ukraine-faces-hurdles-in-exporting-defense-technologies-despite-growing-international-demand