EU changes approach to military aid to Ukraine, moves to investments in the military-industrial complex, - WP
Date: 2024-10-14 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: MILITARY ASSISTANCE
The European Union cannot produce all the weapons and ammunition needed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and therefore moves to invest in the Ukrainian defense industry.
According to The Washington Post, the EU's allocation of $440 million to support Ukraine's defense industry "marks a significant shift" in the bloc's approach to the war, and also demonstrates the shortcomings of its defense sector in the production of weapons and ammunition. In particular, the Europeans can barely cope with demand.
"I think there is a recognition that Europe is not able to produce the weapons that Ukraine needs, and the easiest way for the Ukrainians to do it themselves is to do it themselves. If the Ukrainians have the resources and the money, they can do it much faster," an unnamed European diplomat told the publication.
The head of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund, Jan Lesser, explained that investing in the Ukrainian arms sector "ensures greater flexibility" and "gives Ukraine more options in a short time." It will also ease the pressure on Western defense production. At the same time, Lesser admitted that "none of this will replace large-scale deliveries of Western-made weapons to Ukraine."
"This is simply the reality of the security situation in which Ukraine finds itself. In a broader sense, we are talking about the gradual integration of Ukraine into Western supply chains of the defense industry," he added.
The publication notes that the money for investment in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex will be taken by the EU from the income from frozen assets of the Russian Federation. Denmark has decided to provide additional funds. An unnamed European official announced a sharp increase in the flow of money into the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
"There are a number of countries that, as far as I know, are close to announcing the future use of the same mechanism, either by investing themselves or asking Denmark to invest their money," he said.
The funds will be used to produce missiles, drones and other long-range weapons. According to the official, funding from Ukraine's partners is "a turning point, not in terms of the amount of funds allocated, but in relation to the very idea of investing state money in the Ukrainian defense industry." However, even with such assistance, the Ukrainian defense industry is far from being able to compete with the Russian Federation, which is one of the world's leading weapons manufacturers.
