Ukraine's defense industry will be integrated in that of the European Union, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said.

"As we look to the future, we must think of Ukraine's defense capabilities as part of our defense capability. We must think of Ukraine's defense industry as part of our own defense industry. And this is why we have involved Ukraine in the preparations of our own defense industrial strategy. It is the first step which should lead to integrating Ukraine in some of our defense programs with the agreement of the European Parliament and Council where necessary," she said at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

According to von der Leyen, this will not only help the EU cater to Ukraine's defense needs but will also "encourage convergence and joint planning between our military and defense industries."

"Ukraine is a future member of our European Union. So, it must get much closer to us also in the field of defense," she said.

The president of the European Commission recalled that so far, the EU has trained over 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers and its member states have mobilized EUR 28 billion worth of military equipment.

"The European defense industry has increased its production capacity for ammunition by 40%. We will have delivered over half a million rounds of artillery shells by next month, more than 1 million – by the end of the year. But this is certainly not enough," she said.