Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is seeking US investors for a defense technology fund designed to establish and support companies developing new weapons systems.

Unlike conventional investment funds, the project would not only support existing Ukrainian startups but also establish its own companies. Fedorov’s priorities include combat robotics that reduce the need for soldiers on the front lines, inexpensive high-speed interceptor drones and affordable missiles using artificial intelligence.

Fedorov expects Russia to try to prolong the conflict. If the war continues for another two to three years, he says the fund should develop state-of-the-art solutions for the battlefield.

He has offered to help the US build a "drone army" in exchange for shipments of Patriot missiles, which Ukraine needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles as global stockpiles dwindle.

Fedorov’s dismissal by President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked protests. The 35-year-old subsequently called for elections during the war and said the country was gradually losing the conflict. He stressed, however, that this was not an attack on the head of state but a call to change how the country is run.

Fedorov considers an intensification of Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russia the most realistic way to force Vladimir Putin to end the war. He says this would require further investment in the relevant weapons.

(ft, bak)