Mechanism based on frozen Russian assets should become an important source of defense financing – Shmyhal
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal has taken part in a meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs in Brussels with the participation of defense ministers of the EU member states, and stressed the importance of further support for Ukrainian forces.
"An important source of financing for our defense should be a mechanism based on Russian frozen assets. I informed the allies about the most urgent needs of our soldiers, primarily in the field of air defense. To ensure the needs of the Defense Forces, it is important to make new contributions to the PURL initiative, which allows Ukraine to receive the necessary American weapons," he said on X.
Separately, the minister noted that the launch of the European Defense Industry Program (EDIP) opens up new opportunities for the integration of Ukrainian manufacturers into the European defense space. The creation of the Ukraine Support Instrument worth 300 million euros is another important step in deepening our cooperation, he added. Ukraine also expects the practical implementation of the SAFE instrument.
During his speech, Shmyhal also spoke about the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry and invited partners to join new joint projects within the Build with Ukraine initiative.