"As we look to the future, we must think of Ukraine's defense capabilities as part of our own defense capabilities. We must think of Ukraine's defense industry as part of our own defense industry. This is why we have involved Ukraine in the preparations for our own Defense Industrial Strategy," she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The EU commissioner stressed that, as a prospective EU member, Ukraine needed to get much closer to the 27-nation bloc in the field of defense. Russia argues that the West's military aid to Ukraine is only delaying peace in the country.
Von der Leyen also echoed the estimates of the European defense industry capacity for ammunition production shared in January by top EU diplomat Josep Borrell, who said the EU was on track to deliver over half a million artillery shells to Ukraine by March and a million by the end of the year.