The European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, expressed cautious optimism regarding the active interest of European countries in the new SAFE loan instrument, amounting to €150 billion, which could be directed towards supporting Ukraine’s defense industry. According to the official, an increasing number of EU member states are showing a willingness to utilize funding for investments specifically in the Ukrainian defense sector.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Growing interest in financing Ukraine’s defense industry
Kubilius noted that it will soon be announced which EU countries have submitted official requests for loans from the SAFE fund. Specific information regarding what portion of these loans will be directed specifically to Ukraine is expected to be disclosed around November. He emphasized that some states have already declared their intention to use the loans specifically to support Ukraine, although exact figures have not yet been released.
“We will quite soon announce how many EU member states are requesting these loans (from the fund – ed.) of €150 billion. We see quite a significant interest. And later, possibly in November, we will announce how many of these loans will be used for Ukraine,” Kubilius stated while speaking with journalists in Brussels.
European defense industry interested in cooperation with Ukraine
The Commissioner reminded that in the spring he called on EU countries to invest in the Ukrainian defense industry, although at that time he observed a lack of initiatives to attract loans specifically for procurement in Ukraine. He noted that he now sees a significant increase in optimism and activity in this direction.
Kubilius refrained from commenting on the EU’s readiness to finance the purchase of American weapons worth $90 billion, as previously reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky after talks in Washington. At the same time, he highlighted the importance of these negotiations, emphasizing that “Putin is nervous; he is trying to discredit that meeting.”
The official stressed that the European defense industry is increasingly considering opportunities for cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises. He noted the significant achievements of the Ukrainian defense sector and emphasized the interest of European countries and business structures in deepening integration.
Among the examples of cooperation, Kubilius mentioned the BraveTech EU and EDIP (European Defence Industry Programme) initiatives, which were launched by the European Commission to provide financial support, strengthen, and activate cooperation between the defense industries of EU countries and Ukraine.
It is worth noting that President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing domestic arms production as a component of security guarantees for Ukraine.