Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal held a conversation with EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis. He announced this on Telegram, UNN reports.
Details
During the conversation, special attention was paid to the practical implementation of the SAFE instrument - the EU's defense initiative worth 150 billion euros. 19 countries have already joined it.
We coordinated our needs, priority projects, and the involvement of Ukrainian defense industry enterprises in them. We also discussed the financing of Ukraine's defense needs, particularly through the ERA mechanism. We expect the next tranche in October.
The parties also touched upon the issue of confiscation of frozen Russian assets. As Shmyhal noted, the aggressor's funds should be directed to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
In addition, the topic of further weakening Russia's war machine was raised. The EU has already agreed on the 19th package of sanctions, and we expect its earliest approval.
Recall
According to Bloomberg, European governments and G7 allies seek to expand the use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine.