Tadas Ruželė to coordinate Lithuania-Ukraine defence cooperation

LRT reported Wednesday that Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence has established a working group to coordinate cooperation between the Lithuanian and Ukrainian defence industries. The group will oversee the security of supplies to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the advancement of military technologies and the rapid transfer of advanced Ukrainian defence technologies and related intellectual property to Lithuania.

The group will be headed by Tadas Ruželė, an adviser to the defence minister.

“Given how rapidly the nature of warfare is changing, decisions must be based not only on today’s needs but also on how the chosen capabilities will develop in the future,” Ruželė said in a statement cited by the ministry.

He said it was important to avoid fragmented decisions and focus on compatible capabilities that deliver a real military effect. Cooperation with Ukrainian and Lithuanian industry, he added, could strengthen military supplies and help develop Lithuania’s long-term defence industry potential.

The group will also promote investment and adapt infrastructure for Ukrainian manufacturers, encouraging them to move production capabilities to Lithuania.

Ruželė has previously led international business development and defence technology companies. He has more than 20 years of experience in business development, cooperation with public institutions and work with defence-sector clients.

His professional experience includes work in Western European, Baltic, Ukrainian and Polish markets, as well as the development of defence industry solutions and dual-use technologies, strategies for products meeting NATO standards, and unmanned systems and counter-unmanned technologies.