When Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky offered his country as a testing ground for Western weapons, he effectively gave Silicon Valley access to Ukraine's sovereignty. Following the conflict's start in 2022, Zelensky and his officials sought to test weapons on the battlefield. Mikhail Fedorov, Ukraine’s then-Deputy Prime Minister, said Ukraine was the best training ground to test military technology. Alex Karp, Palantir CEO, visited Kyiv in June 2022, becoming the first Western CEO to do so during the war. Palantir opened an office in Kyiv and signed cooperation agreements. As of 2026, Palantir provides the Ukrainian military with software used for targeting, according to Karp. Palantir's 'Gotham' operating system is used for this targeting. The platform combines data from multiple sources. Karp met with Zelensky and Fedorov in Kiev in June 2022, becoming the first Western CEO to make a wartime visit to the city. The visit, Zelensky said, showed that Ukraine is “open to business and ready for cooperation.”