Ukraine to Help Europe Close Defense Gaps as Russia Threat Grows

Ukrainian military experts will join a new European initiative aimed at identifying and rapidly addressing gaps in the continent’s defenses, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday, Sept 1. The initiative will bring together senior political and military officials from several EU countries, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, with the first discussions expected to begin next week.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Europe is investing more in defence than ever, but spending alone is not automatically a guarantee for success,” Kallas told journalists after a meeting of EU defense ministers in Ireland, as per AFP. “We have not been fast enough to cover the gaps in Europe’s conventional power within NATO,” she added. Kallas said the new initiative would bring together “some of the brightest minds on security and defense” to develop practical solutions to Europe’s defense needs. “The aim is to have some of the brightest minds on security and defence to come together and really provide out-of-the-box solutions,” she said. Ukraine was included because of its extensive battlefield experience after more than four years of full-scale war with Russia, Kallas said. The initiative comes amid growing concern in Europe over Russian “hybrid” operations, including suspected sabotage and other efforts to destabilize countries supporting Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Russian Strike Hits Multi-Story Residential Building in Odesa, Injuring 17, Including 3 Children The latest overnight attack came just a day after another massive Russian strike damaged homes, schools and infrastructure across Odesa. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said that Germany had increasingly “found itself in the crosshairs of hybrid attackers” after an explosive-laden drone was discovered in August at Leipzig airport, a key military transport hub. European countries have increased defense spending since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, European governments face pressure to strengthen their capabilities more quickly as concerns grow over Russia’s military buildup and increasingly aggressive actions beyond the battlefield. The European effort also comes as the US reassesses its military posture in Europe. The Pentagon, which has around 80,000 US troops stationed across Europe, has told NATO allies that it is reducing some of the military assets it makes available for the alliance’s defense plans. European countries can already cover some of the capabilities that Washington may withdraw from NATO planning, but replacing certain assets particularly long-range missile systems – could take years. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and Germany are finalizing a bilateral Drone Deal to expand joint defense production and cooperation. He added that it would provide “additional defense capabilities” for both countries. The agreement is expected to cover joint development and production of drones, missiles and related software, building on existing Ukrainian-German defense projects. Germany is already financing 50,000 Ukrainian-made Shrike FPV drones and 15,000 STRILA interceptor drones designed to counter Russian Shahed-type UAVs. Other projects involve drone, missile, and aviation technologies developed by Ukrainian and German defense companies. Zelensky said in August that Ukraine had signed Drone Deals with nine countries and was negotiating with another 15. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.