On Monday, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, proposed using European funds to boost military manufacturing in Ukraine. This initiative comes in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Borrell suggested exploring ways to utilize European funds to increase arms production in Ukraine, ultimately integrating the Ukrainian military sector into the European ecosystem.
Borrell emphasized the importance of local production in Ukraine, supported by European firms, to streamline production times, reduce transportation costs and tailor armaments to Ukraine’s specific battlefield needs. He also highlighted the potential use of the European Peace Mechanism to subsidize weapon supplies to Kyiv. The EU’s goal is to support the Ukrainian defense industry by fostering cooperation between European and Ukrainian arms companies.
Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industry, Oleksandr Kamyshin, emphasized the need for more funds to produce weapons in Ukraine quickly to support the front lines. The forum aims to strengthen the Ukrainian defense industry, which has demonstrated competitiveness and alignment with European standards. The EU’s Defense industrial strategy presented last March aims to see 50% of the EU’s military acquisitions sourced from European equipment by 2030 and 40% of purchases are expected
