President of European Commission calls on EU states to invest in Ukrainian defense industry
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of informing the member states about the existence of financial opportunities for providing direct support to Ukraine, in particular, investing in the Ukrainian defense industry.
She stated this in Aarhus during a media conference together with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen and President of the European Council António Costa on the occasion of the start of the Danish presidency of the EU.
The European Commission's President said there is a national exemption clause, which gives national fiscal authorities flexibility to invest in defence capabilities, which could also apply to Ukraine. She added that on the other hand, there is a joint procurement – SAFE, and here it is very important that you can directly invest in the Ukrainian defence industry, which has capabilities.
She stressed the importance of this being in line with NATO's objectives, so it is a triple win for member states if they make these investments for their own security, for the security of Ukraine and for the achievement of the Alliance's objectives.