Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is planning a trip to the United States, where he intends to attract funding for new DefenseTech projects and Ukrainian startups. Among them is an investment fund. However, no political meetings are planned in Washington.
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is planning a trip to the United States, where he intends to attract funding for new DefenseTech projects and Ukrainian startups. Among them is an investment fund. However, no political meetings are planned in Washington.
Reuters reports on the upcoming trip, citing a source close to Fedorov. According to him, the former minister plans to launch a number of projects related to the war and Ukrainian startups. One of them is an investment fund. The source did not name the date of the trip and the launch of the projects.
This is in line with a previous statement from Fedorov’s team. The day before, his press service told Suspilny that the potential trip to the US is related to attracting resources for new projects in the DefenseTech field and does not involve meetings with American politicians or officials.
Fedorov already has experience working with American technology businesses. While working in the government, he built contacts with companies such as SpaceX and Palantir. Reuters recalls that at the beginning of the full-scale war, Fedorov personally approached Elon Musk about Starlink, after which satellite communications began to be deployed in Ukraine. Today, tens of thousands of Starlink terminals are used by the Ukrainian military, in particular for communication and work with drones.
Moreover, Fedorov did not stop contacting Musk after his release. In early August, he said that he was continuing negotiations with the owner of SpaceX regarding the potential use of Starlink to counter Russian ballistic systems. According to him, they last spoke a few days before.
However, Fedorov’s meeting with Musk during the upcoming trip is not currently planned, Reuters reports.
The idea of a separate fund for DefenseTech does not arise out of nowhere. The Ukrainian defense technology sector has turned into a separate investment market in recent years. According to Mind, in 2025, investments in Ukrainian DefenseTech exceeded $105 million, while two years earlier they amounted to about $1 million. The money is attracted by companies working on drones, ground robotic complexes, electronic warfare, missiles, ammunition and control systems.
In 2026, Ukrainian DefenseTech companies are already actively traveling to international roadshows. For example, in the spring, Brave1 organized a trip of Ukrainian companies to the United States, where they presented their developments to funds that collectively manage trillions of dollars.
There are also specific examples of American investment infrastructure around Ukrainian DefenseTech. Network.VC Defense positions itself as an American-Ukrainian venture fund and accelerator for startups in the fields of defense, national and public security.
And last month, it became known about the launch of Resist 2.0, a €50 million fund focused on Ukrainian defense startups.
That is, the potential fund, which the Reuters source is talking about, enters an already established and competitive segment.
While serving as Minister of Defense, Fedorov focused on attracting foreign money and technology to the Ukrainian defense industry.
In May, Ukraine and Germany agreed to launch Brave Germany, a joint program to develop defense technologies and support Ukrainian and German startups. In July, Ukraine also signed agreements with the EU that open up access for the Ukrainian defense industry to the European Defense Fund programs and funding under the EDIP. The total volume of the new EU support instrument is €300 million.
But now Fedorov will no longer do this as a member of the government.
As a reminder, Fedorov left the post of defense minister in July after Zelensky’s decision to reshuffle the government. After that, he refused other government positions offered to him, stating that he sees himself in one of three positions that, in his opinion, directly determine the course of the war: president, defense minister, or commander-in-chief.
On August 18, Fedorov released a video message calling for presidential elections to be held even during the war, his most direct political challenge to Zelensky.
That is why the news of the trip to the US could have a political interpretation. In particular, The Guardian suggested that Fedorov might seek support for the idea of elections in Washington.
But his team denied this, and Reuters today received additional confirmation from a source close to Fedorov: the trip is to be dedicated to DefenseTech and startups, and no meetings with American politicians or officials are planned.
