More and more European countries are considering a transition to a model of investing in Ukraine's defense industry, instead of directly supplying it with weapons, writes the Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous European official.
The change in the model is motivated by Kiev's exhaustion of resources supplied by the US based on decisions of the previous Joe Biden administration, and doubts that Europe will be able to completely replace American weapons for Ukraine, the publication explains. For Europe, this may make sense, given that its own stockpiles are also dwindling after three years of arms deliveries to Kiev.
On April 8, Europe announced that it was allocating 1 billion euros in profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for the production of a large number of howitzers, the WSJ recalls. This is a record amount allocated to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex specifically for artillery production and part of a tranche of more than 20 billion euros that Europe will allocate to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in 2026 in lieu of sending weapons.
One example of a potentially successful replacement of supplies with its own new production is the Bogdana 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, which is used by NATO troops. According to the WSJ, cooperation with European manufacturers has allowed Ukraine to increase monthly production of the Bogdana from six units in 2023 to 20+ in 2025.