EU Defence Chief Urges Stockpile Release, Production Shift for Ukraine Aid
EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius urged member states to supply Ukraine from stockpiles and shift to scalable, affordable weapon production. He stressed that strengthening Ukraine is vital for «peace through strength» and criticized Europe’s slow, expensive arms manufacturing. Kubilius also called for integrating the EU’s fragmented defence market to boost production and global competitiveness.
Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s defence commissioner, has urged member states to open their arms stockpiles for Ukraine and shift away from producing expensive, sophisticated «haute couture» weapons towards more scalable, affordable systems. He emphasized that strengthening Ukraine’s military is crucial for achieving «peace through strength,» especially as momentum grows for formal negotiating channels with Russia.
Kubilius highlighted Europe’s lag in missile manufacturing compared to Russia and Ukraine. He noted that European companies produce technologically advanced but difficult-to-scale weapons, while Ukraine produces «good enough» systems rapidly. For instance, Ukraine plans to produce 700 Flamingo cruise missiles this year, compared to the EU’s fewer than 300 and Russia’s 1,200. He suggested Ukraine could use a €60 billion weapons fund from a recent €90 billion loan to buy EU weapons, allowing sellers to reinvest in production.
His call precedes EU initiatives in July to boost defence production and integrate Europe’s fragmented arms industry. Kubilius criticized national rules and procurement practices that create a «closed system,» with large countries like France and Germany buying 70% domestically and only 10% sold to other EU states. Reforms will address technical barriers and simplify intra-EU transfer licences. He also advocated for consolidation in the defence sector, citing Project Bromo (Airbus, Thales, Leonardo) as an example of achieving the necessary «scale and size» for global competition against entities like SpaceX.