What are the ways envisaged by the European Union to strengthen Kiev’s military arsenal?

The Twenty-Seven met on Thursday and Friday at a summit in Brussels to consider ways to better arm Ukraine in the face of the Russian threat.

“We are facing the greatest threat to our security since World War II.” Ahead of the summit held in Brussels (Belgium), Thursday March 21 and Friday March 22, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, warned the member states of the European Union (EU). To find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine, which has entered its third year, and to counter the growing Russian threat, the Twenty-Seven are considering solutions to strengthen their military arsenals and Kiev first.

it is “It is high time we take radical and concrete steps to be prepared in terms of defence.”, warned the president of the council. Franceinfo presents the various routes considered.

Use profits from fixed Russian assets

During the summit, Twenty-seven should discuss a plan presented on Wednesday aimed at using the windfall generated by the freezing of Russian assets in Europe on February 24, 2022, immediately after the invasion of Ukraine. These assets, valued at more than 200 billion euros in the European Union, generated revenues that European diplomatic chief Josep Borrell estimated at more than three billion euros per year. The idea is that most of it will be used to finance arms purchases for Kiev.

The proposal presented on Wednesday provides that 90% of the seized revenue will go to the European Peace Facility, an instrument created in 2021 that finances arms purchases. The remaining 10% will go to the EU budget to strengthen Ukraine’s defense industry capabilities. However, some European countries fear the legal and financial consequences of such confiscation.

Russia has warned the Europeans “Such decisions hurt their economy, their image, their reputation as a reliable guarantor of property inviolability.” “The people involved in making such decisions, the states, will naturally be the subject of proceedings for many decades.”A Kremlin spokesman warned.

Abandon American arms manufacturers in favor of European suppliers

As the EU tries to prepare for the future, its leaders worry that a powerful Russia, buoyed by success in the conflict in Ukraine, won’t stop there. “If we let Ukraine lose this war, surely Russia will threaten Moldova, Romania, Poland”, warned Emmanuel Macron. To respond to this potential threat, 14 EU countries (Germany, France, Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the Netherlands) have called in a joint letter. European Investment Bank (EIB), to do more to finance the defense industry in Europe.

They are calling on the EU’s main lending institution to increase its investment in the defense sector. Since its creation in 1958, the EIB has invested more than 1,000 billion euros, but less in the conservation sector, favoring climate action or innovation. According to 14 signatories, the invasion of Ukraine requires a review of its action and “Increased need for investment in security and defense sector”.

Europe, however, must find a way to cover its shortfalls in terms of military production, according to the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, from the 100 billion euros of arms purchases made by the Twenty-seven from 2022 to mid-2022. 2023, 63% went to the United States and 13% to South Korea. The European Commission wants, by 2030, “50% Tools” Military equipment ordered by member states will be supplied by European industry, Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager announced. Currently, 68% of weapons purchased in the European Union for the benefit of Ukraine are purchased from American manufacturers.

Arms companies profit from separate initiatives

As time runs out and more than $60 billion (55 billion euros) in aid promised by the United States is still blocked in Congress in Washington, European countries are organizing themselves to meet the urgent needs of Kiev, who will suffer without seeing. is The million shells promised by the European Union arrive. To meet the shortage, the Czech Republic mobilized and made available to Ukraine thousands of shells from various non-European countries.

Within European countries, some factories are also running at full capacity. This is the case of Thales in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where anti-aircraft missiles are manufactured. “The doubling in two years is the highest level we’ve ever seen, and will double again in the next two years.”Alex Cresswell, president of Thales’ British branch, told AFP.

In France, Forges de Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrenees) announced a cooperation agreement extended to 2026 with a Ukrainian company for the supply of parts used in the production of 155 mm shells. The factory will, from 2024, produce 60,000 blanks (i.e. hollow bodies of shells without explosives) on behalf of a public company involved in the Ukrainian defense industry. This volume will reach 120,000 pieces in 2026.

Finally, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has said it wants to set up at least four arms factories in Ukraine to make shells, military vehicles, gunpowder and anti-aircraft defense weapons. The group is expected to produce 700,000 shells in 2025 and 500,000 in 2024. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it produced only 70,000 per year.