Europeans will ramp up support for Ukraine’s defence industry, says German minister

BERLIN: Europeans will step up military support for Ukraine, Germany’s defence minister pledged on Monday (Nov 25) after talks with his British, French, Italian and Polish counterparts on how to foster defence efforts as Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
“Our target must be to enable Ukraine to act out of a position of strength,” Boris Pistorius told reporters in Berlin after hosting a meeting of the Group of Five leading nations in European defence.
The election of Trump – who is skeptical of US support for Ukraine – has added pressure on Europe to step up its role in arming Kyiv should Washington, the biggest donor so far, reduce its aid.
Meeting hours after Trump’s victory, Pistorius and French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu had on Nov 6 agreed to call a meeting with their counterparts.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz echoed Pistorius’ pledge of more aid for Kyiv.