Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Commissioner Kubilius states EU will produce 2 million artillery shells in 2025 but faces limitations in arms production capacity and funding for Ukraine’s defence.
The newly designated European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, stated in a commentary to Hromadske that around 2 million artillery shells will be developed in the European Union nations in 2025.
How does the EU plan to expand arms production?
Answering a query regarding whether the EU has sufficient production capacity to expand military support to Ukraine, the official stated that only 20-25% of weapons are made in the EU nations, while the rest are bought abroad. According to Kubilius, expanding the European Union’s arms production needs missing orders from European countries, and without long-term agreements with arms manufacturers, one should not expect Europe to deliver more weapons and ammunition for Ukraine in the forthcoming years.
According to the European Commissioner, funds from the European Union budget cannot be utilised to buy weapons for Ukraine, as there are several limitations on investments in the defence industry outside the European Union. However, funds from the European Peace Fund or frozen Russian investments can be utilised to buy weapons, he stated.
Further, Kubilius describes that next year, Ukraine will welcome around EUR 30 billion from the EU and will determine for itself how much of this payment to utilise for defence purposes. Presently, the EU is raising a new mechanism that permits the integration of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex into the EU defence industry.
