EU makes Ukraine’s defense industry strategic priority in all key policy documents

Rasa Juknevičienė, Deputy Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, said this in an interview for the European Space program with Yurii Fizer on Espreso TV.

“The majority of politicians in the European Union now understand the importance of Ukraine and that you are a vital part of our common defense. And we stand together, especially when certain changes occurred in Washington, D.C. Immediately, the European Commission issued a proposal to rearm Europe, potentially worth up to 800 billion euros. This includes the so-called SAFE program, with 150 billion euros. We are currently discussing and debating how to use those funds,” Juknevičienė noted.

According to the Deputy Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, the initiative to rearm Europe is based mainly on a lending mechanism, which allows both member states and the European Commission itself to raise funds on behalf of the EU to further direct them to support Ukraine.

First and foremost, this concerns the Ukrainian defense industry, as there is a clear understanding in Europe of the need to strengthen and modernize it, and close attention is being paid to this process.

“We know that Ukraine is capable of producing much more than it currently does, but financial support is essential. So this is already becoming an integral part of all relevant policy documents.

We are now working to build the foundations of a defense union within the European Union because we understand very well that the future and the security of the European continent rest on our shoulders. Of course we want to maintain the Euro-Atlantic bond as strong as possible. Nevertheless we must be prepared,” Juknevičienė emphasized.

The Deputy Chair added that most pro-European and responsible politicians realize: the world has changed—and this does not depend on who will be the President of the United States. Europe can no longer rely solely on the defense potential and guarantees of the United States, as global challenges are only increasing.

“The Middle East may escalate again, and although I do not want to predict this, we must be ready for potential issues in East and South Asia as well. The United States has many global responsibilities. We as Europeans must increase our own capabilities. Ukraine plays a key role in this because you are currently defending against the main threat to all of us and to our future.

What should we do? We need to convince other countries, especially those that are further from the front line, not like us in Lithuania, to take this seriously. We are approaching the NATO summit. Almost all countries have agreed to increase their defense spending. Some are still hesitating, but I believe they will join as well,” Juknevičienė concluded.

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