The European Union has started work on establishing the new Defense Innovation office in Kyiv, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on May 6 at the EU-Ukraine Defense Industries Forum.
The Defense Innovation office will support the further integration of Ukraine into European defense programs, while at the same time allowing European countries to learn from the experiences of the Ukrainian military on the battlefield.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was the first to announce in February that the EU planned to open the Defense Innovation office in Ukraine's capital.
Breton said that Europe needs to continue to increase its ammunition production capacity and sign new contracts so that this ammunition could be sent to Ukraine.
The EU Commissioner stressed that this is the sense of the EU's new European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS).
"The strategy is meant not only to support European defense industrial readiness but also to enhance ties between the European and Ukrainian defense industries," Breton added.
"This is why we will open a Defence Innovation office in Kyiv to create a bridge between EU innovative startups and Ukrainian companies and its Armed forces so that European startups can help Ukrainian soldiers on the field."
In March, the European Commission presented the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level to support the competitiveness and readiness of the bloc's defense industry.
The strategy was introduced amid worries in Europe that the U.S. may not be a reliable partner for European security and in backing Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election.
As part of the strategy, the commission proposes developing closer ties with Ukraine through its participation in the bloc’s initiatives to support the defense industry and stimulating cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian defense sectors.
Rachel Amran
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