Europe plans to support Ukraine's military industry instead of supplying weapons

21.04.2025 0 By Writer.NS

European countries are considering increasing support for Ukraine's defense-industrial complex (DIC) instead of direct arms supplies, The Washington Post reports, citing an unnamed European official, reports radiosvoboda.org.

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According to the source, more and more states are leaning towards the Ukrainian defense industry financing model, as their own weapons stocks have been significantly reduced over the years of assistance to Kyiv.

The publication notes that, given the depletion of supplies made during the US presidency of Joe Biden, doubts are growing about Europe's ability to compensate for the possible cessation of American support - especially in critical areas such as air defense.

The Washington Post's interlocutor calls this approach beneficial for both sides: it is cheaper for Europe, and Ukraine will be able to develop its own production. In addition, Ukraine could become a testing ground for new types of weapons, such as drones, in the production of which NATO countries have less experience so far.

As an example, the publication cites the production of Bogdan howitzers, the first Ukrainian self-propelled artillery systems of NATO caliber. During the war, their production more than tripled - from six units per month in 2023 to over 20 in 2025.

On April 9, the EU announced an additional tranche of one billion euros for Ukraine to produce artillery. The funds will come from the profits from frozen Russian assets. This is the largest investment in Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex in Europe and part of a plan to allocate more than 20 billion euros per year for weapons production in Ukraine instead of direct arms supplies.

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