On May 6th, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, participated in an online forum on defense industries Ukraine-EU in Brussels. The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the Belgian presidency for organizing the event, as well as to all member countries for the assistance they have provided to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The Minister emphasized that the revanchist anti-European dictatorship of Russia, which seeks to disrupt peace on the continent, can only be stopped through overwhelming defense capabilities achieved through joint growth of defense industries.
"If we want to preserve peace in Europe, we must transition to a wartime European economy and industry. Only in this way can we deter Russian aggression by demonstrating that Europe has the means to defend itself. A shared defense-industrial space will help overcome existing challenges. No single country can help Ukraine and defend Europe alone. We can only achieve this through collective efforts," - emphasized Dmytro Kuleba.
Additionally, the head of Ukraine's foreign policy department noted that the success of developing the European defense industry depends on three components:
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Creating a shared defense-industrial space within the EU, as well as with partner and candidate countries. In particular, a shared defense-industrial space will help address problems arising from the use of different types of weapons and ammunition.
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Long-term planning, contracts, and procurement. The EU's strategy has already taken an important step in this direction, and we expect its rapid practical implementation at the national and intergovernmental levels.
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Strengthening cooperation between the defense sectors of Ukraine and the EU. Today, Ukraine is a European hub for defense industry. Many governments and companies already collaborate with their Ukrainian counterparts, and the benefits of this cooperation are immense. 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 true global player. However, more steps are needed to enable Ukraine's victory over Russian aggression and to ensure a long-lasting, well-defended peace across Europe.
