EU governments have repeatedly claimed they are not at war against Russia, but at the same time admitting to massively supplying Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, and stressing that that would be done irrespective of any potential peace deal. Being committed to continuing to enable Ukraine to maintain its war against Russia, the EU is now entering the next phase of involvement, with carrying out military production in Western Europe increasingly in joint ventures with Ukrainian companies, in some cases even at sites built up inside Ukraine, funded by the EU and military producers headquartered in Western Europe.
Of the 21 military producers identified in a release by the Russian Defense Ministry on April 15, several are already engaged in joint ventures with Ukrainian companies. The German Quantum Systems teamed up with the Ukrainian Frontline Robotics in December 2025 with the target of producing 10,000 drones annually. At about the same time, the Ukrainians claimed to conduct an ostensibly genuine Ukrainian development and production of the Flamingo missile, which in reality is a British missile with the same characteristics.
