Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev this morning, on her eleventh mission to the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. «It’s a special moment. Ukraine has gained strong military momentum. The situation is changing. I will announce new initiatives to integrate our defense industries. This way we will be able to produce more and faster. We will also discuss membership and preparations for this winter,” von der Leyen wrote in X.
The new defense agreement
On the table of the mission, in fact, there will be a new agreement between the EU and Ukraine to further increase synergy on defense, increasing the production of weapons for Kiev.
The leaders present
With von der Leyen, in Kiev, there are also some leaders from South-Eastern Europe: from the Serbian Aleksandar Vucic to the Romanian Nicusor Dan, up to the Moldovan president Maia Sandu.
Kiev will be able to purchase Chinese drone components with EU funds
Ukraine will be able to use funds from EU defense loans to purchase Chinese components for Chinese drones. The Financial Times writes this, citing two sources familiar with the dossier. Kiev has obtained a waiver for part of a 6 billion euro tranche – from the EU loan for Ukraine – to be used for the purchase of drone components from China. The decision, observes the British newspaper, highlights the gaps that remain in the EU’s internal defense production, despite the effort to strengthen the defense industrial base.
The exemption, we read further in the FT, «also highlights China’s role in the supply of armaments to both sides in this conflict which has now lasted for over four years. Although the EU has accused Beijing of being the main facilitator of Russia’s war against Ukraine as a key supplier to Moscow’s military-industrial complex, it recognizes that Kiev’s arms industry also relies on Chinese components.” Under the conditions of the EU loan, defense products purchased with EU funds must largely come from the single market, Ukraine or approved partners, such as Canada. Other allies may meet the criteria if they sign a security partnership with the EU, contribute to the program and provide substantial support to Ukraine. The UK joined the program on Monday.