Lithuania seeks to attract more Ukrainian defence industry companies

The Lithuanian government has expressed interest in attracting more Ukrainian defence industry companies in advanced fields and has not ruled out financial support "in some cases".

Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekūnas said in an interview with Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT Lithuania is interested in bringing Ukrainian defence manufacturers from the most advanced sectors to the country.

"The state can help put all this mosaic together: share necessary contacts, bring in businesses and in some cases, may even provide financial support – part of activities of the National Development Bank ILTE is currently focused on development of the defence industry… It would be best if this were a self-sufficient private business that earns money, creates jobs and produces what Lithuania and our partners need," Vaitiekūnas said.

Lithuania is most interested in long-range unmanned aerial vehicles as well as other modern weapons and mines.

Vaitiekūnas also noted that Lithuania is somewhat lagging behind in adopting Ukraine's latest experience compared with, for example, Denmark.

"Lithuania's defence industry is generally engaged and expanding, but we would like to see more active use of Ukrainian experience and technological know-how," the minister said.

The Ukrainian government previously reported that production of Octopus interceptor drones for Ukraine in the UK is expected to reach one thousand units per month in February.

In November 2025, Ukraine and Norway signed a document on the joint production of Ukrainian drones.