Ukraine’s FM Kuleba reveals key factors for European defense industry development

On May 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba virtually attended the Ukraine-EU Defense Industries Forum. He thanked the Belgian presidency for hosting the event and all member countries for their support during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reports this.

The minister stressed that the revanchist anti-European dictatorship of Russia, which aims to disrupt peace on the continent, can only be deterred by strengthening the defense capabilities through collaborative efforts in the defense industry.

"If we want to preserve peace in Europe, we must move to a European wartime economy and industry. Only in this way can we restrain Russian aggression by demonstrating that Europe has the means for self-defense. A common defense and industrial space will help overcome existing problems. No country can help Ukraine and protect Europe alone. We can achieve this only through collective efforts," Dmytro Kuleba emphasized.

In addition, the head of the Ukrainian foreign policy department noted that the success of the development of the European defense industry depends on three components:

• Creation of a joint defense and industrial space within the framework of the EU, as well as partner countries and candidate countries. In particular, the joint defense-industrial space will help to overcome the problems arising from the use of different types of weapons and ammunition;
• Long-term planning, contracts, and procurement. The EU strategy has already taken an essential step in this direction, and its rapid practical implementation at the national and intergovernmental levels;
• Strengthening cooperation between the defense industries of Ukraine and the EU. Today, Ukraine is the European center of the defense industry. Many governments and companies are already cooperating with their Ukrainian counterparts, and the benefits from this are enormous. Every euro invested in Ukraine's ability to produce more weapons generates beneficial security and financial dividends for European partners.

Dmytro Kuleba separately noted that many bold steps have already been taken to awaken Europe and turn it into a genuinely global player; at the same time, even more steps must be taken to enable Ukraine's victory over Russian aggression and long-lasting, well-protected peace throughout Europe.