The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal took part in the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.
This was reported in a statement on the page of Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Denys Shmyhal.
During the meeting with the ministers of defense and foreign affairs of EU member states, the head of the Ukrainian defense ministry discussed the launch of new financial instruments, access to the EU defense industry, and further funding through frozen Russian assets.
INTEGRATION INTO THE EU DEFENSE SPACE AND FINANCING
The key focus of the visit was the resilience and defense capability of Ukraine and the EU. Denys Shmyhal announced new support mechanisms:
- The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) opens access for Ukrainian manufacturers to the EU defense market.
- The Ukraine Support Instrument worth €300 million will become an additional source of funding and development for Ukraine’s defense industry.
- The SAFE mechanism is the next step in deepening cooperation between defense industries.
BUILD WITH UKRAINE
The Minister of Defense presented the potential of Ukraine’s defense industry to European partners and invited them to joint projects within the Build with Ukraine initiative, aimed at the production and modernization of weapons.
Separately, Denys Shmyhal emphasized that one of the key sources of funding should be the mechanism based on the use of Russia’s frozen assets.
AIR DEFENSE AND U.S. WEAPONS
The head of the defense ministry informed allies about the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, primarily in air defense systems. He urged partners to contribute to the PURL initiative, which enables Ukraine to obtain necessary U.S. weaponry.
“Together we are capable of ensuring a just and lasting peace on our continent”, — Denys Shmyhal summarized.
