This was announced by EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell at a news conference in Brussels. He noted that the possible use of profits from the assets of the Russian Federation for the procurement of the AFU through the European peace fund “will be another step forward”.
“The EU must strengthen its defense capabilities in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We are moving from emergency mode to a comprehensive strategy that will make our defense industry stronger,” European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said.
The strategy defines the challenges facing the European defense industry and opportunities to fully exploit its potential. It also suggests close involvement of Ukraine, the press service of the European Commission said.
Josep Borrel said that EU countries spent €58 billion in 2022 to buy weapons for Ukraine. And by the end of March, the EU hopes to deliver to Ukraine another 250 thousand shells in addition to the already delivered 350 thousand, Borrel said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said he fully supports the proposal to introduce a tax on profits from frozen Russian assets, which he said would amount to 3-5 billion euros a year.
