Kubilius: Europe Free-Rode on America for 30 Years. Ukraine Changed That

<p>In just three years, Ukraine scaled its annual defence production from roughly one billion euros to 50 billion euros. The EU Commissioner for Defence and Space argues that a combination of digital talent, demand-side doctrinal change and civil society mobilisation drove that transformation, and that the EU has not yet matched this model and therefore needs to bring Ukraine into its defence thinking.<br> <br>At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk on 26 June 2026, Visegrad Insight editor-in-chief Wojciech Przybylski sat down with European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius for a wide-ranging conversation on what Europe can – and must – learn from Ukraine&#39;s military-industrial transformation.</p><p><br></p><p>0:00 Introduction: recording live from Gdańsk, Ukraine Recovery Conference 20260:59 Is Europe living through a moment that fundamentally changes the European project?1:34 Why the shift away from US dependency is now unavoidable4:18 Ukraine&#39;s drone revolution: digital talent, demand-side doctrine and Mykhailo Fedorov7:54 SAFE instrument: catching up or innovating?9:13 Eastern flank countries and the shared burden of continental defence12:21 Defence as a European public good: Eastern Flank Watch and the path to EDPCI status13:24 Are Europe&#39;s strategies speaking to each other? 14:26 Article 42.7 and the whole-society approach16:51 Cutting military construction permits from 4 years to 100 days</p><p><br></p><p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@visegradinsight">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@visegradinsight⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Substack: <a href="https://visegradinsight.substack.com/podcast">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://visegradinsight.substack.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Subscribe to Visegrad Insight for access to all our content, live and online events: <a href="http://visegradinsight.eu">⁠⁠⁠⁠visegradinsight.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>. </p><p>Use code VISEGRAD35 for 35 per cent off a yearly subscription: <a href="https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/⁠⁠</a></p>