The European Commission has finalized its initial contracts for investments in Ukraine’s defense sector,

with the EU allocating €900M for weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine sourced from profits generated by frozen Russian assets. Deputy Secretary General of the EU Foreign Affairs Service Charles Fries stated at a conference on EU-Ukraine defense industry collaboration: “In the next two weeks, we will invest an additional €900M in weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, all funded by the profits from frozen Russian assets.”

He noted that on May 9, European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas announced a €1B investment in the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex. Some contracts are already in place; the funding will support the production of drones, missiles, and other advanced technologies within Ukraine. To date, the EU has allocated a total of €3.3B to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Furthermore, the EU and Ukraine have decided to establish a new joint commission for military-technical cooperation. Fries emphasized that Ukraine has much to teach the EU regarding the defense industry.