Europe sends EUR 52-54 bln to Ukraine in 3 years, trails USA by EUR 6-8 billion – European commissioner

All European defense support to Ukraine amounted to around EUR 52 or EUR 54 billion, while the US provided just over EUR 60 billion, less than 0.1% of their GDP, said Andris Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defense and Space.

“When the NATO summit just ended and all European member states, as well as NATO member states, committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP…, I don’t understand this military logic on our part,” he said at a panel discussion titled “No Security – No Recovery” organized by the Pinchuk Foundation and YES on the sidelines of URC2025 in Rome on Wednesday.

“When we understand that Ukraine protects us, as the front line, as the first line of our defense, we still don’t invest in their defense the way we invest in our own defense. Logic dictates that we should do much more to support Ukraine’s defense,” Kubilius stressed.

He recalled that the European Union has created an attractive regulation for the so-called security loans of EUR 150 billion, and now European governments can take these loans and conduct joint procurement with Ukraine, from Ukraine and for Ukraine.

"I would like to hear tomorrow, when the prime ministers and ministers will talk about our support for the reconstruction of Ukraine (at the URC2025 conference), that they very clearly commit to taking these loans," the European Commissioner noted.

In the discussion on the benefits of Ukraine's accession to the EU, Kubilius advised to look at what Ukraine has achieved in defense, as well as in new technologies, the military industry.

"And I understand that there are only two armies on the European continent... And when German intelligence services predict that Russia may be ready to test us, to test our equipment in three to five years, with its army, which has passed the battle test and, in my opinion, is stronger than at the very beginning of the war, I can say that it would be a big mistake for us not to integrate Ukraine into our community as soon as possible. Because that way we will be able to have on our side another battle-tested army, capable of also using millions of drones, and with a very developed defense industry," the commissioner said.