On December 9, 2025, within the framework of the project “EU Global Responsible Leadership: Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Humanitarian Aid” (EU_LEAD) with the support of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme, a public online lecture by Arūnas Vinčiūnas, Head of Unit “Support to Ukraine and Military Mobility” (DEFIS.A.2) at the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) of the European Commission, was held.
The lecture was dedicated to the topic “Resilience of the EU defence industry and support for Ukraine in the face of Russian armed aggression”. The resilience of the EU defence industry and support for Ukraine in the face of Russian armed aggression are increasingly being considered as elements of the European Union’s global responsible leadership. In particular, the fight against climate change is being implemented through the introduction of environmental standards in defence production, the development of low-carbon technologies and strengthening the sector’s climate resilience;
environmental protection includes minimizing the environmental consequences of military activities, as well as responding to ecocides and environmental risks that have arisen as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine;
humanitarian aid is emerging as an integral tool of the EU's external action, aimed at protecting the civilian population, supporting refugees, restoring critical infrastructure and ensuring the basic needs of those affected.
The coordination of these areas forms a holistic concept of responsible EU leadership, within which the defense capacity and support for Ukraine complement environmental and humanitarian priorities. This approach emphasizes the EU's desire to act responsibly as a global actor, combining security and sustainable development to strengthen international stability.
It is extremely pleasing that the invited speaker began his lecture in Ukrainian, noting that he has already made working visits to Ukraine several times in the context of a full-scale invasion and expressed words of support to the Ukrainian people in the war with the Russian Federation.
In his speech, Arūnas Vinčiūnas spoke in detail about the role of DG DEFIS in strengthening the European defense industry, supporting research and development (R&D), as well as about the mechanisms for assisting Ukraine, including the EDIP, BraveTech, SAFE programs and the integration of Ukraine into the European defense technological and industrial base. Within the framework of DG DEFIS, the speaker highlighted the main initiatives, namely:
Defence Readiness 2030– a roadmap for the transformation of European defense;
EDIP– a European defense industry program to strengthen the technological and industrial base of European defense;
SAFE– Security Actions for Europe, i.e. a mechanism of preferential loans supported by the EU;
EDF– a European Defense Fund, which is engaged in the activation of defense research and development in critical defense technologies;
BraveTech EU– an EU-Ukraine platform for joint research and development of defense products;
Military Mobility– facilitating the rapid and safe movement of military personnel and equipment across the EU.
Arūnas Vinčiūnas noted that the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) has allocated 1.5 billion euros for the period 2025-2027, the aim of which is to increase Europe's ability to produce and supply critical defence equipment.
Notably, the speaker stressed that the EDIP contains a special Ukrainian direction of cooperation: the so-called Ukraine Support Instrument (USI). The USI initiative includes the following factors: 1) allows Ukraine and Ukrainian industry to participate in EDIP activities (in particular, in joint procurement and the expansion of industrial production); 2) USI supports cooperation with Ukraine in the defence-industrial sector, allowing Ukraine to work with partners to increase industrial potential to meet priority needs; 3) improves the convergence of the defense industries of Ukraine and the EU with the aim of the future integration of our state into the European defense technology industrial base.
Arūnas Vinčiūnas focused on the winning scenario of Ukraine's integration into the defense technology and industrial base of the EU, which is as follows: 1) integration contributes to supporting Ukraine's military efforts; 2) the EU can test and modernize its equipment based on Ukraine's combat experience; 3) Ukraine gains access to private investment, technological know-how and the opportunity to produce weapons where direct Russian attacks cannot disrupt the process; 4) integration is part of the movement towards Ukraine's accession process.
Regarding the equally important BraveTech program, the speaker noted that it is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the EU worth 100 million euros (50 million euros from the EU, 50 million euros from Ukraine). This initiative was launched by Commissioners Andrius Kubilius and Mykhailo Fedorov in July 2025 at the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Rome.
Regarding the equally important BraveTech program, the speaker noted that it is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the EU worth 100 million euros (50 million euros from the EU, 50 million euros from Ukraine). This initiative was initiated by Commissioner Andrius Kubilius and Mykhailo Fedorov in July 2025 at the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Rome.
The BraveTech program: supports cooperation between Ukrainian and European innovators; adapts Ukrainian models of rapid innovation to EU defense initiatives; changes the orientation of EU defense innovations to overcome real challenges that arise on the battlefield of modern warfare. In general, Arūnas Vinčiūnas indicated that the factor of European military support for Ukraine, of course, continues to be very important. Since the beginning of the war, the EU, member states and European financial institutions have provided 177.5 billion euros in support of Ukraine. This includes financial, economic, military and humanitarian support, including the placement of refugees in the EU, through the EU budget or support from member states. Further possibilities for financing Ukraine's defense include a reparations loan. That is, a financial instrument based on frozen Russian assets. Approximately 100 billion euros will be allocated for military equipment for Ukraine. However, according to Vinčiūnas, there are two challenges in this regard that still need to be overcome. The first is to reach a common solution within the framework of such an issue, the second is to implement actions, namely in what way is the fastest and most effective way to get what the Armed Forces of Ukraine need.
Arūnas Vinčiūnas focused on such component projects of the EU defense industry as: RearmEurope, SAFE, Defence Readiness. In particular, the ReArmEurope plan, presented by the European Commission on 6 March 2025, is designed to reconcile the need for collective action by EU Member States with the preservation of national sovereignty. Decisions on the financing of these programs will be taken in the coming months as part of the negotiations on the next Long-Term Budget (2028–2034). The EU ReArm Europe initiative should focus on increasing national military budgets, while ensuring a certain level of European coordination.
Arūnas Vinčiūnas stressed an important aspect of the ReArm Europe plan, which concerns all 16 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Germany. Maximum deficit flexibility through defence spending per EU Member State: 1.5% of GDP, on average over the period 2025-2028. Assuming that all 16 Member States reach defence spending of 1.5% of GDP, the Commission estimates that the total additional fiscal space would be €650 billion by 2028. In addition, the speaker presented the creation of the Secure Action for Europe (SAFE) financial instrument during the lecture. SAFE will finance urgent and large-scale investments in the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. Given the current exceptional circumstances, the Commission plans to mobilise up to €150 billion and distribute it among the interested Member States of the Union. It is noteworthy that on November 30, 2025, 19 EU Member States submitted their national defense investment plans to SAFE, and 15 of them included Ukraine, Arūnas Vinčiūnas emphasized. Disbursements will be made in the form of structured long-term loans. As the speaker noted, this will contribute to ensuring interoperability, predictability and reducing costs for a strong European defense-industrial base. Ukraine and the EFTA/EEA countries will be able to join joint procurement and negotiate mutually beneficial agreements on the participation of their respective industries in such processes.
During the lecture, the invited speaker focused on the fact that the ultimate goal of EU actions is to create a critical mass of technological and industrial capabilities capable of competing with the leading military powers of the world. At the same time, he stated, there is a risk that in the absence of effective coordination and a common strategy, this plan can only increase fragmentation, as each state will focus on its own projects, isolating itself from common interests.
It is important that the lecturer familiarized the students with the White Paper on European Defense– Readiness 2030, which defines a new approach to defense and the EU's investment needs. The last few years have revealed chronic underinvestment and a lack of effective spending on Europe's military potential, noted Arūnas Vinčiūnas.
Of course, special attention was paid during the lecture to the development of Ukrainian-European cooperation in defense innovations, the possibilities of Ukraine's access to technological knowledge, investment and weapons production, as well as the impact of this on supporting Ukraine in the war and the future of the country's integration into the EU. The lecture showed the importance of international cooperation and strategic support for Ukraine at all levels.
The event also provided an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss the prospects for the development of the defense industry. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the prospects for the development of the EU defense industry and cooperation with Ukraine.
The lecture was attended by 74 participants, including undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and lecturers of the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Such lecture-discussions are extremely valuable for both young people and scientists and everyone interested in European studies.
The project team sincerely thanks Arūnas Vinčiūnas for an interesting and informative lecture, and the students for their involvement.
