Ukraine will now have much more weapons: WP learned about bad news for Russia –

The countries of the European Union are pouring millions of euros of investment into the defense industry of Ukraine, and the production of weapons has increased significantly.

Since Europe cannot supply Ukraine with the necessary weapons and ammunition, the European Union is investing in Ukraine’s rapidly developing military industry. Writing about this The Washington Post.

The European Union’s recent decision to spend about $440 million on Ukraine’s resurgent military industry marks a major shift in the bloc’s approach to Ukraine’s war with Russia, which according to journalists. As a grant from the European Union, money received from the surplus profits of Russian assets frozen in the West will be used. This money will complement the $190 million provided by the Danish government.

“I think there is an understanding that Europe cannot produce the weapons that Ukraine needs, and the easiest way is to do it ourselves,” said one European diplomat. “If Ukrainians have the materials and the money, they can do it much faster themselves.”

Investing in the Ukrainian military sector “gives more flexibility” and “allows Ukraine to have more capacity in a short period of time,” said Jan Lesser, head of the German Marshall Fund office in Brussels. it is easy to put some of the pressure on defense production in Western countries. The broader effect is Ukraine’s gradual integration into Western defense supply chains.”

European leaders have stepped up defense cooperation with Ukraine and are trying to maintain aid as the conflict escalates. They are also preparing for the possibility of a second Trump presidency, declining US support and public fatigue in some of their own countries.

Ukraine tripled its arms production in 2023 and then doubled that figure in the first eight months of this year. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, about $4 billion was allocated this year for the development of the country’s military industry. However, the defense sector of Ukraine is able to produce much more – worth about 10-12 billion dollars, said the Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko.

Funding from Ukraine’s partners is a “game changer – not in terms of the amount of money, but in terms of the idea of ​​investing public money in Ukraine’s defense industry,” he said. one European official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that the money would be used to produce “missiles, drones” and other “deep-impact weapons”.

Ukraine, in its conflict with Russia, has been pushing hard to increase long-range strike capabilities, and the United States has refused to allow its weapons to be used for the for fear of angering Russia. President Vladimir Zelensky said that the country is currently developing its own ballistic missiles.

According to the official, in the near future the amount of funds flowing into the defense industry of Ukraine could increase significantly. “Several countries I know are close to announcing the use of the same equipment in the future, either investing themselves or asking Denmark to invest their money.”

Some defense industries are already experiencing significant growth. Ukraine plans to produce about 1.5 million drones this year and has the potential to produce another 2.5 million, an industry that was virtually non-existent before the conflict, Zelensky said. On Sunday, the Netherlands also announced that it would invest $440 million to develop advanced drones for Ukraine.

Denmark will manage the $630 million allocated by Copenhagen and the European Union under the “Danish model” – an arrangement in which Western money will pay for contracts that the Ministry of Defense -Ukraine has already signed arms manufacturers, allowing Ukrainians to set their own. priorities in choosing what they need.

“Red lines on our side will not limit the use of these weapons,” said Dennis Virkelist, who heads the Ukrainian team at the Danish Defense Ministry, speaking at a defense industry conference.

“Denmark and the European Union will be able to show the rest of the world how effectively we are spending Russian wind profits on weapons that are going back to Russia,” he said.

The EU aid is part of a larger package of $1.5 billion in revenue from a Russian freeze fund approved in May and administered through the European Peace Fund, which gives EU members money to to buy weapons for Ukraine.

In August, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the use of frozen Russian assets and their profits “theft”. “These are illegal actions that will certainly have legal consequences,” Peskov said at a briefing.

Ultimately, Ukrainian officials hope the country will become a major arms exporter once its own needs are met.

Cooperation with Ukrainian companies gives foreign defense companies special advantages – for example, the ability to modify and test their products in an active conflict.

As it was before Discussion.UA on August 24, Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian attack drone “Palyanytsya”. baptism of fire.

Author:
Mark Voroshilov