At the meeting of European Union defense ministers held in Brussels today, discussions focused on military support for Ukraine and Europe's defense readiness. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also participated in the discussion.
During the discussion on military support for Ukraine, EU member states provided an overview of their recent contributions and discussed the possibilities for expanding the training of the Ukrainian armed forces. "By the end of the summer, Europeans will have trained up to 60,000 Ukrainian fighters, but the readiness of the EUMAM training mission must increase to 100,000 to meet Ukraine's needs," explained Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, who attended the meeting. "In addition, the main focus remains on ammunition – over 50% of the targeted one million shells have already been sent to Ukraine, and additional supplies have come from the Czech initiative, but this need will not diminish in the near future. When Putin talks about negotiations, it is a sign that we need to step up and provide Ukraine with the assistance it most needs – ammunition and air defence."
The discussion on defence readiness covered topics such as the implementation and funding of the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). "Our position is clear – additional funds must be found for defence readiness, whether through bonds, changes to the European Investment Bank's mandate, or frozen assets. Our own defence readiness and military support for Ukraine are two parallel directions that essentially require the same capabilities: air defence, long-range fire, and ammunition. The defence industry in Europe has gained momentum, but it is in all our interests to invest more," said Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur.
Additionally, defence ministers received an overview of activities within the framework of the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, missions, and the state of rapid response capabilities. European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, who attended the meeting, provided an overview of the implementation of the defence industry strategy.
After the meeting of defence ministers, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur also attended the Ukraine Security Forum conference and the Schuman Security Forum in Brussels.
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Photos: Euroopa Liidu kaitseministrite mitteametlik kohtumine (28.05.2024) | Flickr