Five Western European countries aim to strengthen Ukraine’s defense industry, while also significantly expanding military production in Western Europe. The defense ministers of Poland, the UK, France, Italy, and Germany announced this goal after a joint meeting in Poland. The initiative was formed in response to Trump’s presidential election victory in the US. The member states have set the goal of making Western Europe more defense-politically independent from the US.
Poland’s Defense Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, emphasized that the cooperation possibilities with Ukraine have not yet been fully exhausted. “2025 must be the year of the expansion of the defense industry in Europe” he said.
The plan also includes the establishment of production capacities directly in Ukraine. “If the funds are there, if the defense capacities are available for production, then Ukraine can quickly supply its own troops with material and weapons” explained German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov joined the meeting via video conference, and discussions included potential cooperations with defense companies in the supporting countries of Ukraine as well as direct investments in Ukraine.
Immediately before the meeting, Pistorius handed over a miniature model of the new self-propelled howitzer, RCH 155, developed jointly with France, to Ukrainian Ambassador Alexei Makeyev. The first six models, however, will not be sent to Ukraine but will remain in Germany for training purposes, with Ukrainian soldiers to be trained to use them on the battlefield later.
A total of 54 of the new self-propelled howitzers were promised to Ukraine, with a price of 12 million euros per unit, equivalent to a total value of around 648 million euros.
Whether the initiative of the Western Europeans can catch up with Russia’s lead is more than questionable. NATO Secretary Mark Rutte pointed out at a meeting with EU representatives that Russia produces the volume of military goods in three months that all NATO countries together produce in a year, emphasizing that the European defense industry is “too small, too fragmented, and above all, too slow.