Ukraine to be included in new EU defense group
Ukraine will be included in a new high-level group that will develop solutions to strengthen European defense capabilities. EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas said that Ukraine is a "world leader" in battlefield military innovation and its expertise will be used to address gaps in European defense.
Ukraine will join a new European Union defense group. The group is aimed at developing concrete solutions to increase European defense capabilities. This was announced by the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas.
According to Kallas, the high-level group, which will begin work in the coming days, will include senior politicians and military officials from the European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. She announced this information following the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, on September 1.
It is not yet clear who will join the new group from Ukraine. Kallas said that the full composition of the group will be presented next week.
She noted the high interest in the new initiative, adding that the group should not be limited to approaches within state and international institutions. It is also planned to take into account proposals and ideas from private defense companies.
Kallas recalled that most EU countries were also NATO members. However, in her opinion, there are still gaps in Europe's traditional defense capabilities that need to be filled. According to her, Europe has not yet moved fast enough to strengthen its defense capabilities, despite growing threats.
The main task of the new group will be to develop concrete solutions to eliminate existing shortcomings in the defense sector in a short time and effectively. "That is why we are including Ukraine in the group, given its extensive experience," Kallas said.
The recommendations developed by the group will be presented to European countries and relevant institutions.
Kaya Kallas also noted that Ukraine has accumulated extensive experience in the field of military innovation. She called Ukraine "a world leader in battlefield innovation."
She said that there are currently more than 120 cooperation projects between Ukrainian and European defense companies. Kallas stated that closer integration of the Ukrainian and EU defense industries would serve the interests of both sides.