Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with a delegation of the European Parliament Committee on Security and Defense (SEDE), led by the Committee Chair Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. The meeting was attended by representatives of European Union member states, including Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Germany, and France.
Ihor Zhovkva noted that Ukraine needs stronger air defense to protect against Russian attacks and counts on additional missiles for air defense systems. Particular attention was paid to the PURL initiative, which enables Ukraine to purchase air defense missiles from the United States. In total, 24 countries have already joined the program, with combined contributions amounting to $5 billion. Ukraine’s needs under PURL for this year total $15 billion, and active work with partners on additional contributions is ongoing.
The parties also discussed preparations for the Ramstein-format meeting scheduled for February 12.
Special attention was devoted to defense cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union within the SAFE instrument. At present, the amount available for potential joint projects under SAFE is approximately €5.2 billion, although Ukraine’s defense industry has significantly greater potential.
“Some countries have already included joint projects with Ukraine in their national investment plans. At the same time, we believe that the share of SAFE funds allocated to joint production should be at least 10% of each member state’s contribution. This will make it possible to fully unlock the potential of Ukraine’s defense industry and strengthen the defense capabilities of both Ukraine and the European Union,” the Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized.
In addition, the parties discussed Ukraine’s European integration. According to Ihor Zhovkva, Ukraine will be fully ready to open all negotiating clusters in the first half of this year.
“Ukraine’s membership in the European Union is the foundation of future security guarantees for Ukraine and for all of Europe. That is why we need a clear political decision on Ukraine’s membership as early as 2027,” he concluded.