Ukraine and the Netherlands have started joint work on a project in the field of air defense called Bliksem. The teams of the two countries have already received the corresponding tasks to determine further steps for the implementation of the initiative.
This was reported by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 28 following talks with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten in The Hague.
According to Zelenskyy, the parties have identified a specific project on which Ukrainian and Dutch defense industry specialists will work.
"We have today such tasks for our teams — to work out a specific project in the field of air defense Bliksem, and work on this project has already begun," — the president said at a joint press conference.
The technical characteristics of the future system, the expected volumes of financing and the implementation timeline of the project have not yet been disclosed. It is also not specified which Ukrainian enterprises will be directly involved in the development.
During the visit, Zelenskyy held talks with representatives of Ukrainian and Dutch businesses. The parties identified priorities for further economic cooperation, paying special attention to the development of joint production projects.
The president emphasized that political agreements should be accompanied by concrete economic results — new productions, investments and jobs in both countries.
Earlier, in July 2026, European defense companies announced the creation of the Bliksem EXO consortium for the development of a new generation of missile defense.
As reported by Kurs.com.ua, the project includes the Dutch company Destinus, the German division of MBDA, French Safran and Thales, as well as Airbus Defence and Space.
Their goal has become the development of a European interceptor capable of destroying medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere. The program involves the use of hit-to-kill technology.
According to the official response of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands to the parliament dated October 1, Bliksem EXO is one of the projects of the international coalition on the development of missile defense. The Netherlands participates in this initiative and discusses cooperation with Ukraine.
At the same time, Zelenskyy has not yet specified whether the cooperation announced on October 28 involves the direct participation of Ukrainian enterprises in the Bliksem EXO program or the development of a separate project within this direction.
During the meeting in The Hague, Prime Minister Rob Jetten also announced an additional package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 500 million euros. It will include air defense means and drones. The connection of this financing with the Bliksem project is not confirmed.
