Lithuania and Ukraine sign agreement to launch BRAVE Lithuania defence innovation programme

Lithuania and Ukraine have signed a protocol of intent to establish the BRAVE Lithuania programme, a joint initiative aimed at strengthening defence innovation cooperation, state news agency ELTA reported Monday.

The agreement was signed by Lithuania’s deputy defence minister Vitalija Zumerienė and Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Serhiy Boiev during the second NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum in Vilnius. The programme will serve as a bilateral platform to support defence technology startups, researchers, and companies from both countries.

According to Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence, the initiative seeks to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced technologies tailored to practical defence needs. Projects under the programme will prioritise solutions that address real operational requirements, drawing on combat experience and direct feedback from defence sector stakeholders.

Zumerienė described the agreement as marking “a new stage in Lithuania-Ukraine defence cooperation,” emphasising that combined expertise and resources would enhance military readiness and regional security. “This is an investment not only in our nations’ defence but in a safer future for Europe,” she said.

The protocol also outlines plans to explore additional funding sources, including national budgets, EU instruments, international donor support, and private investment. The signing ceremony was attended by Lithuanian prime minister Inga Ruginienė and Ukrainian prime minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The BRAVE Lithuania programme will focus on creating a functional cooperation mechanism linking the defence innovation ecosystems of both countries, facilitating the transition of promising technologies from concept to field testing and operational use.