Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia, believes that the EU and NATO member states must increase the capacities of the defence industry in order to produce the necessary armament for covering military needs.

"Whether we want it or not, Europe must arm," Rinkēvičs said in the TV3 channel broadcast, reported by Delfi.

On 20 October, Rinkēvičs will hold negotiations with Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, about the development of the military industry.

In particular, the possibility of investment attraction according to the support programme for ammunition production, the facilitation of joint procurement in the defence industry and the progress in the implementation of the EU agreement, which has the goal of acceleration of joint procurement and supply of artillery projectiles to Ukraine.

As it is known, the EU supports its member states in artillery projectiles and missiles supply from national stocks, the aggregation of demand and joint procurement of 155 mm projectiles, as well as in increasing the production capacities of the European defence industry.

The Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) created in the EU for increasing the production of ammunition and missiles came into force on 23 July.

ASAP is part of the EU plan to provide Ukraine with a million artillery rounds within 12 months, proposed in March 2022.