ROME, March 20. /TASS/. A number of European countries are exploring the possibility and even discussing the launch of defense production, including artillery shells and drones, in Ukraine, the Corriere della Sera newspaper wrote citing three sources.
Ukraine has expanded its defense production capacities in recent years, and moving production lines to the country would allow EU members to replenish its depleted arsenals at lower costs, the report says.
According to the newspaper, Kiev is supportive of the initiative, seeing it as a means of accelerating its European integration and EU membership.
The European Council convened to discuss plans of enhancing Europe’s defense and increasing military spending on Thursday.
On March 4, the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen announced that she had proposed to EU leaders a plan for the rearming of the community with a budget of 800 billion euros. The EC proposal implies that EU countries borrow up to 150 billion euros for defense. The EC will borrow this money on the capital markets and then lend it to countries on the condition that they jointly purchase weapons in Europe. These funds will be used to produce air defense systems in the EU and weapons for Ukraine. In addition, the EC proposed that countries increase defense spending by 1.5% in order to raise 650 billion euros for weapons production.
On March 7, an EU summit agreed on a plan for the militarization of Europe, which should provide the EU with an autonomous perimeter defense capability, but has not yet approved its funding sources.