04/16/2026
The European Union is gradually increasing the capabilities of its military-industrial complex, but this is happening too slowly. It is worth stepping up to deter the Russian Federation, which currently produces significantly more weapons than the EU.
This was the appeal made by European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius before the European Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee. Ukrinform quotes him as saying.
Ukraine can be an example
“The challenges we face are much more serious than those we have already managed to overcome,” the politician warned. According to him, the biggest challenge is that Russia is “still ahead” of Europe in weapons production.
EU countries are investing in the military-industrial complex, but growth is still insufficient. To demonstrate this more concretely, Kubilius gave examples:
“Annual production of cruise missiles: Russia – 1,100, European Union – 300. Annual production of ballistic missiles: Russia – 900, EU – 0. Annual production of artillery ammunition: Russia – 4 million, European Union – 2 million. Production of infantry fighting vehicles: Russia – 3,500, European Union – 500.”
The numbers are not very encouraging. “If you really want to contain Russia, we need to overtake Russia in [weapons] production,” the European Commissioner stressed.
He said that this requires “producing, producing and producing again.” “In 1939, Hitler started the war because he was convinced that he could overtake all other Europeans in production. He lost the war when the Americans mobilized and overtook Germany,” Kubilius recalled.
He advised to learn from Ukraine and produce not only “technologically advanced, but expensive and difficult to scale “couture” defense products, but also mass and much cheaper, but sufficiently high-quality products.”
During the year (according to Kubilius), Ukrainians launched about 700 Flamingo-type cruise missiles. By the end of 2026, the plans are to launch the production of their own ballistic missiles, and in 2027, anti-ballistic systems together with European partners.
According to Kubilius, European military-industrial complex companies “must understand: if they do not find a way to radically increase their production, then Europe will begin to think about how to overtake Russia together with Ukraine. “
As OBOZ.UA wrote:
– Recently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the achievements of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex during the four years of war . Despite the Russian invasion, our country has built a new defense industry. The President noted that our weapons are effective, they are known and respected in the world, and each new Ukrainian development shortens the distance to peace.
– Ukrainian company FirePoint continues work on the FP-9 ballistic missile. It is expected that its range will be 850 km, and the weight of the warhead – 800 kg. The first launches should take place in mid-2026.
We are in the fifth year of this terrible, brutal war, and we still have a Europe that is too slow in increasing its own defense, and to make it even worse, we even have a russian agent as president. What in the hell does it take to get these jellyfish to swim faster?