Chairman of the European Union Commission (EU) Ursula von der Layen proposed to purchase military equipment for Ukraine at the expense of funds received from Russian assets frozen within the framework of sanctions and reserves.
von der Lyaine performed at the plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg dedicated to strengthening European defense.
Having stated that the Russian -Ukrainian war has been going on for the third year, von der Lyain recalled that North Korea supplies Russia ammunition, and Iran – unmanned aerial vehicles (BPL).
“The ongoing war in gas and the ubiquity in the Middle East indicate the period of lack of security and conflicts in the region and beyond,” said von der Lyain.
“We need to start working on the future of the architecture of European security,” said von der Layen, noting that the member states increased their defense expenses, and national defense budgets increased by 20 % compared to last year.
noting that very important steps were taken to increase the defense industry and production capacities, von der Lyain added that by the end of 2025, the production of ammunition in Europe would double and will produce more than 2 million artillery shells a year.
“We still have a lot to do, and we must act quickly,” said von der Lyain, adding that member states should be prepared and urgently rebuilt, update and modernize their armed forces.
Having emphasized that Europe should allocate more resources for defense, von der Lyain said that in the coming weeks they will submit their proposals for the first European industrial defense strategy.
According to her, one of the main goals of the strategy and a jointly prepared defense investment program is the priority of joint defense procurement.
“European defense industry needs access to capital,” said von der Lyien, urging the state and private sector to support the defense industry.
The politician emphasized that she supports the idea of introducing a member responsible for defense into the new composition of the commission, which will be determined after the EU election.
Russian assets
“It is time to start discussing the possibility of using profit from frozen Russian assets for the joint purchase of military equipment for Ukraine,” she said, adding that the use of this money will become a strong symbol and make Europe and Ukraine safer.
EU countries froze about 200 billion euros of the Russian Central Bank due to the war. Financial institutions owning Russian assets make significant profits, reinvesting them as the maturity of repayment occurs.
EU wants to aim at the income received from this, and not for the main amount.