Episode summary
How Ukraine Digitized Government in the Middle of War
Wall Street Week
· · Hosts: Chrystia Freeland, David Westin
Summary
Ukraine’s digital-government push has become part of its wartime economic strategy. A guest argued that the country is not only rebuilding after the war but trying to transform itself, with technology and investment as central pillars. The guest said Europe now sees Ukraine less as a charity case and more as an ally, and emphasized that money is the key bottleneck as defense-tech funding begins to scale from a 2025 level of just over $100 million.
The discussion focused on Diia, Ukraine’s super app and government portal, which now has more than 23 million app users and more than 200 services available through the portal. The guest said Ukraine moved from digitization to “agentization,” meaning AI systems should proactively anticipate citizens’ needs rather than waiting for them to request documents. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, created in 2019, has expanded the ecosystem with Diia City, Diia Osvita, and Brave1, and the guest said the invasion accelerated the work because digital resilience became a matter of national survival.
The guest also addressed the risks of AI and data sovereignty. They said Ukrainians share concerns about job replacement and automation, but argued the country must learn to use AI carefully. Ukraine’s framework keeps citizens’ most sensitive data inside the Diia perimeter and uses a hybrid cloud approach to avoid giving big tech full control of public data.
Key takeaways
- The guest said Ukraine now sees postwar rebuilding as a transformation project, not just reconstruction, with technology and investment at the center.
- The guest said Europe increasingly views Ukraine as a powerful ally rather than a charity case.
- The guest said 2025 defense-tech investment was only just over $100 million, but valuations are already reaching multiple billions for some Ukrainian companies.
- The guest said Diia has more than 23 million app users and more than 200 services, making it the core of Ukraine’s digital state.
- The guest said Ukraine is moving from a digital state to an “agentic state,” where AI proactively anticipates citizens’ needs.
- The guest said Ukraine’s data model keeps sensitive citizen information inside the Diia perimeter and does not let big tech control all of it.
Notable quotes
“Ukraine doesn't have to just rebuild, Ukraine has to transform itself. And I think there are going to be some great investment opportunities”
“the Ukrainians are starting to nip at the heels of those two countries. They have this application called Diia”
“-An agentic state is the state where government delivers services proactively, like anticipating citizens' needs”
“we have more than 23 millions of users because people like using their phones”
How the episode opens
So, Chrystia, you're working with President Zelensky to rebuild the Ukrainian economy after this war is over. As we look at Ukraine right now, it looks like just pure devastation. But as you work on that project, do you see some bright spots, particularly in the tech sector?
-I do, David, and I want to start by being careful not to overstate my role. So I'm an unpaid volunteer advisor. I don't have any executive authority, and I want to be clear about that.
Having said that, I really believe in Ukraine. I think that Ukraine's fight is actually the fight of the whole democratic world. And having been there a lot in recent months, I think there are tremendous economic opportunities.
These are going to be important for Ukraine because after the war, Ukraine doesn't have to just rebuild, Ukraine has to transform itself. And I think there are going to be some great investment opportunities. Westin: So obviously, Europe has been supportive of Ukraine.
And Europe needs its own defense buildup, besides Ukraine's defense buildup. To what extent is there integration happening between Ukraine and the rest of Europe in tech? -There is a lot.
And what I have seen, and I think this is something that has just happened over the past 6 to 12 months, is a real transformation in how Europe is looking at Ukraine. I would say at the beginning of the war, Europeans saw Ukraine as kind of the righteous victim, as virtuous, as wronged, kind of a charity case, and important to support for those moral reasons. I would say that today, Europe is increasingly seeing Ukraine as an important ally and a powerful ally.
Westin: What does Ukraine need, the tech sector specifically, to become all it can be as you rebuild the economy, as you advise President Zelensky?
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ukraine digital government
- diia super app
- ai in public services
- data sovereignty
- government digitization in wartime
Watch the episode
Watch “How Ukraine Digitized Government in the Middle of War” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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