European official Andrius Kubilius argues that Europe can deter Russia and sustain Ukraine by changing how existing support is spent. Writing on X in early May 2025, he noted that the United States and the European Union together have been providing roughly \u20ac40 billion a year in military aid for Ukraine. Instead of devoting most of that money to purchases from European or American factories, he urges channeling a much larger share to Ukrainian manufacturers. His core claim is economic: comparable weapons and ammunition made in Ukraine cost about half as much as those produced in the EU or the U.S., so the same budget could buy nearly twice the volume. Viewed that way, he says, Europe could quickly present Moscow with stronger \u2018arguments for peace\u2019 if attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to secure a settlement with Vladimir Putin fall short\u2014by doubling the practical output of assistance without increasing top-line spending. Beyond price, Kubilius frames this as a strategic industrial policy. Procuring in Ukraine would accelerate deliveries, strengthen Kyiv\u2019s defense sector, and deepen Western-Ukrainian integration, while signaling long-term commitment. He links the concept to available financing tools, pointing to EU \u201cdefense loans\u201d that let member states cover arms purchases for Ukraine on favorable terms. Combined, these mechanisms could expand the flow of artillery shells, air-defense components, and other essential materiel at a pace suited to battlefield needs rather than annual budget cycles. The commissioner also references fresh funding sources that may complement this approach. According to reporting he cites, Euroclear is preparing to channel about \u20ac3 billion generated from immobilized Russian assets, illustrating how Europe can unlock resources within existing legal frameworks. Taken together, his message is that Europe does not need to wait for new appropriations to increase Ukraine\u2019s combat power. Redirecting procurement to where unit costs are lowest and production lines are nearest to the front can immediately convert today\u2019s euro totals into greater military effect. The proposal deliberately couples hard-nosed affordability with the political objective of \u2018peace through strength\u2019: if diplomacy does not yield a durable cease-fire, a rapid scaling of Ukrainian armament\u2014financed with current budgets and EU loan instruments\u2014could sharpen deterrence and improve Kyiv\u2019s leverage at the negotiating table.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
U Commissioner Andrius Kubilius says Brussels could effectively double military aid to Ukraine if U.S. President Donald Trump cannot secure peace from Putin\u2014by procuring more from Ukrainian manufacturers, where costs are roughly half those in the EU or U.S.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[683,701,675,677,674,678,676],"class_list":["post-1748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","tag-eu","tag-kyiv","tag-putin","tag-russia","tag-trump","tag-ukraine","tag-usa","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n