The European Union's member states purchase three-quarters of arms for their troops in third countries, meaning its production capacity has to be ramped up, especially if the EU expects to continue supporting Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, APA reports citing Sputnik.
"Our armies buy less than they actually need from European industries — that was certainly true before the war. Since the war, three-quarters of our purchases have been made outside the EU," Borrell said at a press conference presenting the new European Defense Industrial Strategy and the European Defense Industry Program.
However, the European Commission's efforts are ultimately aimed at achieving sufficient defense funding and domestic production, not procurement abroad, he said. In 2023, EU member states spent 58 billion euros ($63 billion), funded exclusively from the national budgets, the diplomat said.
"If we want to continue supporting Ukraine, we have to increase our capacity to do so. We have been supporting Ukraine by taking what we already have in our stocks, by producing more. Ukraine today needs 200,000 155 ammunition per month. It makes 2.5 million per year. If we want to support Ukraine, we have to be able to do so, because this does not come from the sky," Borrell said.
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