EU to open Defence Innovation Office in Ukraine

The European Union will open a Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv to bring Ukraine closer to the EU and open up opportunities for member states to learn from Ukraine's experience on the battlefield against the Russian aggressor and in the field of defence innovation.

This was announced in Strasbourg during a hearing in the European Parliament by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU website reports.

"I am proud to announce that we will establish a Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv. This will bring Ukraine closer to Europe and enable our member states to benefit from Ukraine's experience on the battlefield and innovations in the defence industry," the European Commission President said.

She reminded that during the years of war, the EU dispelled doubts about its own unity and joined forces to provide Ukraine with massive financial, military and political support and intends to continue such assistance for as long as necessary.

Von der Leyen also noted that Europe is fully aware of the scope of the security challenges facing the continent and the urgency to strengthen the capabilities of the armed forces and defence industry in EU member states.

"We have to move fast. The threat of war may not be inevitable, but it is not impossible. The risks of war should not be overestimated, but we must be prepared for them. This starts with the urgent need to rebuild, re-equip and modernise the armed forces of member states. Europe must strive to develop and produce a new generation of winning combat capabilities, and to ensure that they are produced in sufficient numbers, with the material and technological superiority we may need in the future. This means turbo-changing the capabilities of our defence industry over the next five years," said the President of the European Commission.

She noted that all these efforts are subject to one simple principle: Europe must spend more, better and in a European way on defence. Next week, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission will present proposals for the first-ever European Industrial Defence Strategy, one of the main points of which will be a defence investment programme, with a priority on joint defence procurement within the EU. The European Commission believes this will send a strong signal to the European defence industry.