The EU ministers were joined via video teleconference by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who presented the current situation, the situation on the ground and the challenges Ukraine faces in defending itself against the Russian invasion. The meeting was also joined by Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, who focused on the importance of supporting Ukrainian industry and presented the European Defence Industrial Strategy and the opportunities offered by the European Defence Investment Programme.

Slovenia remains fully committed to supporting and assisting Ukraine for as long as necessary. It is aware of the importance of providing additional military assistance to Ukraine. Given the situation, Ukraine first and foremost needs additional air defence systems and ammunition. At the meeting, Minister Šarec underlined that Slovenia has provided Ukraine with substantial military assistance over the past two years. "In view of the increased efforts, we are participating in various coalitions, and we have recently joined the Czech initiative for the procurement of ammunition, which we are confident will soon bring tangible results. We also remain committed to the EUMAM mission for training the Ukrainian defence forces, which is expanding and gaining importance."

He underlined that Slovenia fully supports all activities related to enhancing the defence preparedness and resilience of the European Union and Ukraine. It is important for Slovenia to implement the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the EU Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) as soon as possible and to involve small and medium-sized enterprises, which can make a significant contribution to the development of the EU defence industry with their knowledge and technology. As a result of the lessons learned from the Ukrainian battlefields, we are in favour of increased drone production, which could bring together smaller companies from each Member State.

"By fostering cooperation between the defence industries of the European Union and Ukraine, we will help Ukraine to defend itself while deepening our defence industrial sector integration, which will have a positive impact on both sides. It is important to ensure that sufficient resources are available, and we believe that the Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) will help in this regard," concluded Minister Šarec.