BRUSSELS, October 15. /TASS/. Three meetings of defense ministers from member states of NATO and the European Union will be held in Brussels on Wednesday, focusing on arms supplies to the Kiev government.
In the morning, a scheduled ministerial meeting will be held in the alliance’s headquarters, followed by a meeting of the Ukraine contact group at the level of defense ministers.
In the evening, the ministers (except for the United States, Canada and Norway) will gather for an informal working dinner at the Council of the European Union’s headquarters, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
This time, neither NATO nor the Council of the European Union have made any briefings or press conferences in the run-up to these events.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told the organization’s Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana that plans to finance defense production in Ukraine will be in the focus of the discussions in Brussels, with emphasis placed on drones, ammunition, long-range weapons and air defense systems, as well as new contracts for purchases of US weapons and military equipment.
Speaking about the Contact Group meeting, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the European countries are expected to make an announcement on major purchases of US weapons for Kiev.
Kallas is set to discuss with the ministers the ways of speeding up EU militarization, enhancing European arms supplies to Ukraine and the community’s priority defense projects, including the "drone wall."
On October 16, the European Commission will unveil its roadmap of the European economy’s militarization.