The European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, expressed optimism regarding the attraction of European investments for the development of Ukraine’s defense industry. In particular, the official noted that the new financial instrument SAFE, which involves allocating 150 billion euros in the form of loans, has already sparked significant interest among the member states of the European Union.
This is reported by Finway
European Loans to Support Ukraine’s Defense Sector
Kubilius mentioned that it will soon be announced how many EU countries have applied for loans from the SAFE fund. According to him, there is already a noticeable trend where some countries plan to direct the funds received directly towards the development of Ukraine’s defense sector, although specific figures have not yet been disclosed.
“We will quite soon announce how many EU member states are requesting these loans (from the fund – ed.) of 150 billion. We see a considerable interest. And later, possibly in November, we will announce how many of these loans will be used for Ukraine,” Kubilius stated while speaking with journalists in Brussels.
Earlier in the spring, Kubilius urged European countries to invest in Ukraine’s defense sector, but at that time he expressed concern about the insufficient attention given to providing loans specifically for Ukrainian purchases. Now the situation has changed, and the official notes that there is more optimism.
Prospects for Cooperation Between Ukraine and the EU in the Defense Sector
Kubilius emphasized that the European defense industry is showing increasing interest in collaborating with Ukrainian enterprises, highlighting the high achievements of Ukraine’s defense sector. According to him, there is a strengthening of coordinated actions with the United States regarding support for Ukraine from the EU.
The official also pointed out the BraveTech EU and EDIP (European Defence Industry Programme) initiatives proposed by the European Commission to expand cooperation and financial support for joint defense projects between Ukraine and the European Union.
Previously, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the development of domestic weapons production is one of the key components of security guarantees for Ukraine.