Weapons production in Ukraine needs to be strengthened - Borrell
It is very important for the EU to integrate the Ukrainian defence industry with the European one and to establish the production of military equipment in Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, the EU High Representative Josep Borrell said before the start of the EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum.
"We have more than 140 companies from 25 countries. The goal is to weigh the capabilities of Ukrainian industry and European industry, to look at the possibilities of using European funding to produce more and faster. If possible, directly in Ukraine. It is important that this production is carried out in Ukraine, by Ukrainian companies, with European support. We will save on transportation and we will produce right where these products are needed," Borrell said.
He reminded that this is the third such event to discuss the development of the Ukrainian defence industry. The first forum was held in Ukraine and the second in the US. Borrell hopes that the forum in Brussels will result in an assessment of opportunities to finance Ukrainian defence production using the Peace Fund, which has a special fund to support Ukraine.
Priority task for the development of the Ukrainian defence industry
In addition, the task for the representatives of 140 companies is not only to deploy industrial capabilities in Ukraine to increase defence production, but also to ensure their reliable protection. This is the primary task, after which it will be possible to talk about the second component of the process - who will produce more in Ukraine and how to strengthen the link between the Ukrainian defence industry and the European defence industry.
"Ukraine is a country at war, it does not produce in normal conditions. That is why industry representatives must understand that, firstly, these are new opportunities, secondly, there is a risk, and thirdly, there is funding. All three things come together to share technologies. For example, you have good drone production, and the EU should probably learn from you. But we have capabilities that can be deployed in Ukraine. We are already producing in Europe, but we need to be able to produce on your territory to reduce the cost (of transportation), reduce the delivery time and better respond to your needs," the EU official said.
As a reminder, the EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum opened in Brussels on 6 May.
