Ukraine's defense minister asks EU for $11 bln to support military-industrial complex

The Ukrainian government needs more than $11bn in additional aid from the West to maintain its military-industrial complex (MIC), Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on December 2 following a meeting with the new head of the European Council, António Costa.

"Ukraine is going to invest up to $10 billion or up to $14 billion, so we will need additional money from our partners," Portuguese news agency Lusa quoted him as saying.

According to Umerov, a total of $25 billion is needed to maintain the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. In addition, he noted Kiev's intention to work with European allies "on joint production and investment" and to cooperate in various areas of the defense-industrial complex outside the state.

Earlier, on November 28, the head of the Bureau for Military and Political Analysis, Oleksandr Mikhailov, shared his opinion in a conversation with Izvestiya that Ukraine and European countries are dependent on American weapons. According to him, the primary task of the United States was to rid the countries of Eastern Europe of Soviet weapons.

At the same time, Reuters reported that the administration of current US President Joe Biden was developing a new $725 million aid package for Ukraine, within which it planned to provide various anti-tank weapons from the US stockpile. Political analyst Pavel Feldman previously told Izvestia that the outgoing Democratic administration will do everything to leave the team of US President-elect Donald Trump with a mass of unresolved problems and conflicts.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.