The European Union can provide more extensive and strategic support to Ukraine, in particular through the rational use of frozen Russian assets.

This was stated by Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, during the 17th annual Kyiv Security Forum entitled “UA: LET’S UNITE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THE GLOBAL AGGRESSOR”, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation “Open Ukraine”.

He noted that currently there are still hesitations regarding the legal confiscation of these assets, given the banking and financial restrictions, but the European Union is looking for new mechanisms - for example, using these assets as a guarantee for further loans.

According to Andrius Kubilius, Ukrainian industry has proven its ability to produce modern weapons in large volumes, and today the EU must move from providing Ukraine with weapons to providing extensive financial resources.

“If Ukraine were given access to financial resources, it would be able to produce weapons half as cheaply as European companies. This would actually double the practical assistance that we provide today. This is pure mathematics,” he noted.

Andrius Kubilius emphasized that the defense industries of the EU and Ukraine should not just cooperate, but integrate — taking into account the potential of both sides.

“When it comes to the integration of the Ukrainian defense industry with the European one, I sometimes ask myself a rhetorical question: who is integrating with whom? Ukraine has enormous experience and potential — we should learn from you,” the Commissioner emphasized.

He also warned that purchasing power parity should be taken into account when assessing Russia's defense spending. "If we count not in euros or dollars, but in purchasing power parity, Russia will spend more on war this year than all European countries combined," Andrius Kubilius concluded.

The Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk “Open Ukraine” foundation, is the main platform in Ukraine to discuss issues of war and peace, national and global security.