EU Defence Commissioner plans 'missile tour' of Europe to boost arms production
Kyiv • UNN
European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, will embark on a tour of EU countries. The goal is to persuade governments and the defence industry to ramp up missile production for Ukraine and European stockpiles.
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius plans to soon embark on a tour of EU countries to persuade governments and the defence industry to more actively ramp up missile production and accelerate their delivery to Ukraine and European stockpiles. Euractiv reports this, according to UNN.
Details
Kubilius announced his intentions during a speech in the European Parliament. According to him, the goal of the so-called "missile tour" is direct dialogue with member states and representatives of the defence industry on ways to accelerate the production and delivery of missiles, particularly for Ukraine's needs.
Ukraine largely depends on missile weaponry in confronting Russian aggression, but most such systems are currently supplied by the United States. At the same time, the European Union is increasingly linking the financing of defence procurement to the principle of "European preference," which provides for the purchase of products manufactured primarily in Europe.
The announcement of Kubilius's tour came shortly after the EU approved a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine. About two-thirds of these funds are to be directed towards the procurement of weapons and military systems, preferably produced within the European Union.
At the same time, the EU acknowledges that in the event of a shortage of missiles and other weapons on the European market, Ukraine will be able to purchase products from third countries, including the United States. A high-ranking EU official noted that the main task is to provide Ukraine with what it critically needs, as the missile deficit remains a serious problem.
Kubilius's planned tour resembles the initiatives of his predecessor, Thierry Breton, at the beginning of the full-scale war, when the European Commission focused on the production of ammunition, particularly artillery shells. At that time, the ASAP program was launched with a budget of €500 million to eliminate bottlenecks in the production of ammunition and missiles. However, an attempt to extend this program last year did not receive sufficient support from EU member states.
It should be recalled that Japan plans to join the NATO PURL mechanism for purchasing American weapons for Ukraine.