In three weeks, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated that a defense industrial strategy proposal will be presented, along with the opening of a defense innovation office in Ukraine, as reported by Reuters in Munich.
Von der Leyen emphasized the need for Europe to strengthen its industrial base, highlighting the importance of building a strong Europe while maintaining a transatlantic partnership. She elaborated on the proposal’s goals of increasing defense spending, improving joint procurement, and enhancing interoperability between Europe’s armed forces. This approach also seeks to focus spending within Europe to secure jobs for taxpayers.
Moreover, von der Leyen stressed the integration of Ukraine into Europe’s defense programs due to Russia’s overwhelming military presence in Ukraine, supported by the supply of weapons from North Korea and Iran.
Regarding financial aid, von der Leyen emphasized the significance of the U.S. passing a bill to provide more aid to Ukraine. She emphasized that this measure symbolizes democracies standing up to autocrats.
In addition, von der Leyen expressed her intention to create a new post of defense commissioner if she is re-elected as head of the European Union executive. This initiative aligns with the EU’s recent decision to offer Ukraine 50 billion euros in aid over the next four years, on top of the previously allocated 88 billion euros since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Von der Leyen highlighted the importance of democracies uniting and showing resolve in the face of challenges from autocratic adversaries. She questioned the global prevalence of democracies in the wake of these challenges.
As reported by Reuters, the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and euro were also included in her statements.
(Reporting by Julia Payne and Andrew Gray; editing by Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood)
