FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF UKRAINE IN THE SPHERE OF ARMS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT
Authors: Pantielieieva N. , Khutorna M. , Goncharenko O. , Kirdei L. , Kokhan V. , Dudnyk T. 
Published: September 2023

In the conditions of a full-scale war, increasing the efficiency of foreign economic activity, the effectiveness of the institutional infrastructure and the implementation of permanent state control over production, export/import operations in the field of weapons and military equipment has become extremely relevant. The purpose of the research is to generalize the regulatory framework, identify the features of the institutional infrastructure and critically analyze the practice of foreign economic activity in the field of armaments and military equipment, justify proposals for its improvement. The methodology of the research consisted of systematic, comparative and economic analysis. It was determined that the effectiveness of Ukraine's foreign economic activity in the field of armaments and military equipment is affected by such factors as the complexity and tension of the geopolitical situation, military aggression, imperfect regulation, lack of financial resources for the purchase of weapons in foreign countries in the conditions of restrictions on the international market and complex domestic economic situation, lack of technological capabilities for the production of complex systems and modernization of existing military equipment to quickly cover own defense needs and further export, and other factors.

The analysis of regulatory and legal regulation and institutional infrastructure revealed the beginning of their significant transformation in terms of increasing transparency, accountability and economic efficiency of the foreign economic activity of armaments and military equipment. The assessment of the export potential of Ukraine in the field of armaments and military equipment revealed the ineffectiveness of the functioning of special exporters of the State Concern “Ukroboronprom” in connection with the use of “gray” schemes and the expediency of expanding the exporters of military equipment at the expense of attracting private enterprises. The post-war implementation of the Defense and Security Strengthening Program of Ukraine with the involvement of foreign investors should not only revive the export of domestic armaments and military equipment, but also “cleanse” the defense sphere of unscrupulous and inefficient participants. The dynamics of the obligations of the countries of the world and Ukraine's acquisition of weapons and military equipment are quite powerful, but they are not without certain problems regarding the unpreparedness of technical and technological capacities, the imperfection of the military-industrial complex of Europe in logistics and the production of significant volumes of weapons in a short period of time, bureaucratic obstacles and the impossibility rapid coordination and compliance with the requirements of legislation at the interstate level regarding pricing, taxation, etc. Directions were identified and proposals for improving the mechanism of foreign economic activity in the field of armaments and military equipment were formulated.