On Monday, January 13, the defense ministers of the E5 countries – Poland, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom – met to discuss key defense priorities for Ukraine in 2025. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also took part in the meeting.
According to Umerov, the top priorities include:
- Weapons for the front: artillery shells, long-range weapons, armored vehicles.
- Strengthening air defense: new air defense systems and ammunition.
- Development of the defense industry.
The minister noted that Ukraine plans to reach a record level of arms production in 2025, worth $35 billion. Of this amount, 17 billion will be allocated by the Ukrainian government, and the rest will be provided by international partners.
Umerov emphasized that the E5 countries play a leading role in key defense coalitions:
- Armored vehicles – Germany, Poland.
- Artillery – France.
- Air defense and missile defense – France, Germany.
- Drones and maritime security – the United Kingdom.