Over 160 signed agreements totaling more than 12 billion euros, the first tranche of a 3.2-billion-euro loan from the EU, and large-scale support packages for the decentralization of our devastated power grid. These were the financial results of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026), which concluded in Gdańsk, Poland.
However, if we look deeper into the behind-the-scenes discussions, the main news from the forum was not simply the amount of funds raised. There has been a fundamental shift in the philosophy of our Western partners. The concept of “post-war reconstruction” is finally dead. In their speeches, foreign leaders emphasized that recovery must take place right now—by building up our own capabilities.
It was within the framework of this pragmatic approach that the issues of security and defense were raised in full force for the first time at the conference. Global players have realized that no rebuilt school, factory, or logistics hub makes sense if they are not protected by air defense systems and a robust domestic defense industry.
Andriy Ordynovych, senior advisor on partnerships at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NACO), analyzed the URC 2026 defense trends in a blog post for Censor.NET.