The European Union should integrate Ukraine into its future European Defense Union - European Commissioner for Defense and Space.
Ukraine's defense industry has earned one of the highest assessments from EU representatives .This progress is critical for the safety of all of Europe - said Kubilius on Tuesday in Brussels for the opening of the Europian Defence and Security summit. According to him, the rapid development of Ukraine’s defense sector has been one of the key factors enabling the country to adapt to modern warfare and change its nature.
As evidence of Ukraine’s industrial success, Kubilius noted that since 2022 the country has increased defense production fiftyfold, reaching a level comparable to the annual output of Germany’s or France’s defense industries.
Kubilius recalled - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Finnish President Alexander Stubb have previously described Ukraine’s military as the strongest in Europe and the most adapted to modern combat operations .
"But why do they consider the Ukrainian army the best? My answer: not only because the Ukrainian army has brave soldiers and smart commanders, but also because their defense industry is the best and the most innovative,".
"We must learn from Ukraine" said the European Commissioner for Defense and Space .
The European Union should integrate Ukraine into its future defense industry, defense market, and the future European Defense Union. He also urged EU countries to learn from Ukraine's experience in rapid and large-scale arms production.
"It would be difficult to understand if we in Europe did not consider the integration of Ukraine's military forces into our European defense architecture as our vital interest," he emphasized.
Kubilius also drew attention that Russia continues to outproduce the EU in defense manufacturing, creating further security risks for the entire continent.
According to Kubilius, this creates temptation for Putin. National parliaments should ask their governments why defense industries are not expanding production despite increased funding, he added. Sorce: European Commission