United to win: ten states sign IT coalition agreement to support Ukraine

On February 12, the member states of the IT coalition completed the signing of the Cooperation Agreement. The participants were Estonia and Luxembourg, as the leading countries, as well as Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. This is the first such Agreement within the capabilities coalitions.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this.

The document establishes the commitment of the participating states to assist Ukraine over the next six years in building an interoperable IT infrastructure for the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

"I am grateful to my partners for their support. The IT coalition is an important and long-term initiative that has already united around 10 countries. I am sure that we will be able to attract even more partners for the digitalization of our army", Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov commented on signing the agreement.

The agreement defines the participating states' principles, procedures, roles, and responsibilities regarding cooperation within the IT coalition. In particular, it establishes decision-making processes and mechanisms of procurement procedures.

The document also provides a legal basis for making financial contributions by coalition member states.

"The agreement emphasizes the readiness of our partners to cooperate in the long term and help the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Defense Forces to build a stable and modern IT infrastructure. Thanks to the coalition, we will be able to exchange experience in the application of innovative technologies and do joint projects. The IT coalition is a powerful and effective platform for our interaction," said Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization.

In addition, Great Britain completed the process of joining the IT coalition by signing the Declaration of Intent.

For reference:

IT-coalition is a special group of states within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (in the "Ramstein format") under the leadership of Estonia and Luxembourg, which is focused on providing support to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Ukraine's armed forces in the field of IT, communication and cyber security.