Part of €150 billion for Rearming Europe to go to Ukraine's Armed Forces, says European commissioner

The Rearm Europe initiative, presented by the European Commission, is designed to allocate part of its funds to rearm Ukraine's military.

Source: European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis in Kyiv, responding to a question from European Pravda

Details: Dombrovskis recalled that the €800 billion Rearm Europe initiative, created to finance the rearmament of the Ukrainian army, encourages cooperation between European and Ukrainian defence companies as one of its key elements.

Another component of the initiative involves providing EU member states with €150 billion for joint military equipment procurement. "This must be military equipment produced in the EU, the European Economic Area, or manufactured in Ukraine," the commissioner reiterated.

Responding to European Pravda's question, Dombrovskis emphasised that equipment procured through this mechanism could also be allocated to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"This can be used to provide military support to Ukraine," he stated.

The European Commission’s proposal does not require member states to allocate a specific portion of funding to the Ukrainian forces, but it includes provisions that allow for such transfers. "Providing EU member states with additional fiscal flexibility will certainly make it easier for them to make these decisions," he explained.

"We do not specify the types of goods – this could be ammunition, artillery, or other equipment," the commissioner added.

Dombrovskis also outlined in Kyiv how the EU will assist Ukraine’s budget through the end of 2025.

Background: The EU's White Paper on Defence includes provisions for delivering 2 million shells to Ukraine annually.

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