European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday the establishment of a defense innovation agency in Kiev, Ukraine. This will bring Ukraine closer to Europe. Russian assets also need to be redistributed.
It’s time to talk about the use of frozen Russian assets for the joint purchase of military equipment for Ukraine. There is “no stronger sign and no better use.”
A war with Russia cannot be ruled out
“The simple truth is: we cannot afford to sit back. We have no control over elections or decisions in other parts of the world. Whether with or without the support of our partners, we cannot let Russia win,” said Von der Leyen. “War is not an immediate threat, but it cannot be ruled out either. Our first and urgent task is to rebuild, strengthen and modernize the armed forces of the Member States.”
By locating the office in Kyiv, “all member states would be able to draw on Ukraine’s experience and expertise in defense industrial innovation.”
Production is increasing
Von der Leyen also highlighted the progress made so far in expanding the capacity of the European defense industry: European ammunition production should roughly double to more than 2 million shells per year by the end of 2025. The EU’s target of supplying one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine by March 2024 was not met.
She emphasized that “the capabilities of our defense industry must be vastly increased over the next five years.” The emphasis should be on a simple principle: “Europe must spend more money.” She confirmed that the Commission would “present in the coming weeks proposals for a first-ever strategy for a European defense industry.”
According to Von der Leyen, one of the central objectives of this strategy is joint defense purchasing. She mentioned vaccines during the corona pandemic and natural gas as successful examples of EU procurement.
Focus on “stable orders”
“But this requires a strong, common signal to the industry. We will therefore investigate how we can facilitate fixed purchase contracts or purchase agreements through guarantees. In this way, our defense industry could rely on stable long-term orders and at the same time have greater planning certainty,” the former German Defense Minister replied in response to an oft-cited criticism from industry representatives who insist on long-term security plans .
Source: Krone
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