The UNITED24 MODE Summit 2026 took place in Kyiv, marking four years of the UNITED24 presidential fundraising platform. The event also provided a forum for discussing Ukrainian technologies and innovations, including their role in strengthening the country’s defence capabilities.
The Summit was opened by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who emphasised the important role of technology and international support in enhancing Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Since its launch, UNITED24 has united people from 145 countries around the world in support of Ukraine, including millions of donors, ambassadors, businesses, humanitarian organisations and educational institutions.
“Over the entire period of UNITED24’s operation, from the platform’s launch in 2022 to today, nearly USD 4 billion has been raised for Ukraine through this fundraising initiative. Of this amount, USD 3.7 billion has been directed specifically towards Ukraine’s defence — above all, towards technological solutions that save lives: drones, unmanned ground systems and other capabilities that help protect people’s lives,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Summit brought together government representatives, Ukrainian technology and defence companies, members of the innovation ecosystem and international partners. One of the event’s central themes was the further development of Ukrainian defence technologies — from creating new solutions to serial production, scaling and international cooperation.
During the Ukrainian Defense Tech panel discussion, representatives of the government and Ukraine’s defence technology industry discussed the development of defence tech, shortening the path from development to serial production and battlefield deployment, scaling Ukrainian solutions, and deepening cooperation with international partners.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was represented in the discussion by the Adviser to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine Anna Gvozdiar, who moderated the panel. She was joined by Iryna Terekh, CEO of Fire Point, Maksym Cherkis, COO of STARK Ukraine and Andrii Hrytseniuk, Head of Brave1.
During the panel discussion, Anna Gvozdiar outlined the key priorities for the state in developing Ukrainian defence tech and stressed the need to preserve the speed at which new technological solutions are developed, scaled and delivered to the military.
“Ukrainian defence tech has already demonstrated its ability to respond to the challenges of war with extraordinary speed. In just a few years, we have effectively built a new industry in which a frontline requirement can be transformed into a technological solution many times faster than in the traditional defence industry. The next task is to maintain this pace, scale the strongest developments and turn the technological advantage Ukraine is creating today into a long-term strength of the state,” stated Anna Gvozdiar.
The panellists also discussed the need for systematic cooperation between the government, manufacturers, the military, investors and international partners. This is not only about developing new technologies, but also about ensuring the fastest possible path from prototype to serial production and deployment with the Armed Forces.
Particular attention was paid to Ukraine’s technological independence — developing its own critical technologies and component base while simultaneously deepening international partnerships.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine continues to expand cooperation with Ukrainian manufacturers, the technology community and international partners to ensure that promising solutions can be scaled faster, delivered to the military and contribute to strengthening the country’s defence capabilities.