The foreign ministers, together with the defense ministers of the European Union countries, held a large-scale meeting on Monday, April 22, in Luxembourg, where they discussed increasing military assistance to Ukraine. “We do not usually hold meetings like this, but the fact that ministers met in this format underscores the urgent need to accelerate our military support for Ukraine,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
Working together, the foreign and defense ministers can simultaneously take into account both the political dimension and defense capabilities, “because the foreign ministers are not responsible for the army, but the army must make decisions within the overall political framework,” he explained.
Russia drops 60 guided bombs a day on Ukraine
From Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov joined the meeting via video link. They once more emphasized that Russia daily uses missiles, drones in Ukraine and continuously shells eastern Ukraine. Literally in those minutes when Borrell was retelling the contents of the messages of Ukrainian ministers at the final press conference, a television tower in the city fell as a result of a Russian attack on Kharkov.
Moreover, according to the Ukrainian side, cited by the EU’s top diplomat, Russian troops have dropped 7,000 guided bombs on Ukraine over the past four months, that is, 60 such bombs per day. And the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have enough weapons even for self-defense and repelling Russian aggression.
Shells from the Czech initiative will arrive in Ukraine by early summer
Borrell said that many EU countries are joining the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the world market. According to his forecasts, their first batch will arrive in Ukraine in late May – early June. Meanwhile, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Jan Lipavsky, refused to tell reporters which countries are already participating in this initiative and how many there are, pointing out that this is not public information.
Public information is that thanks to the Czech Republic it was possible to purchase half a million artillery shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “But we know that more can be achieved. Therefore, I call on all countries to join and invest resources in our initiative,” Lipavsky said in Luxembourg. For example, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany announced their participation in this project, and earlier Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated that in total regarding 20 countries around the world had joined the initiative.
No one has publicly promised new air defense systems yet
The second main goal of the European Union, according to Borrell, is to provide Ukraine with new air defense systems. Germany previously took the initiative in this area. “Today, during consultations, we heard statements that, as part of this initiative, some EU countries will provide both financial and material support, while others will once more review their reserves and report what opportunities they have,” she informed reporters following the meeting Council Secretary of State of the German Ministry of Defense Siemtje Möller.
Borrell also pointed out that several EU member states have expressed their readiness to make a concrete contribution to the provision of air defense systems to Kyiv. “We have a list of 20 different types of air defense capabilities, and we looked at them all – who is doing what, what else can be done, some countries have accepted specific proposals within the framework of the German alliance or the Czech initiative, and now must make final decisions,” said the Supreme EU diplomat: “I think that everything is now ripe, everything has been said, and I am sure that they will take appropriate decisions.”
Vilnius has certain equipment that can be used in Ukraine, said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. And his Polish colleague explained that the two Patriot systems that Warsaw has at its disposal are needed by the country to shoot down missiles flying across its border, so it would be more expedient to ask its neighbors in the west for this.
The Swedish Defense Minister did not rule out the possibility of transferring Patriot to Ukraine, but indicated that for now his country is “ready to support the German initiative mainly financially.” Most of the questions on the topic of providing Patriot to Ukraine were asked to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, which, according to some sources, has almost twenty such installations. However, Jose Manuel Albarez Bueno said that he considers it a mistake to even communicate publicly regarding this “extremely sensitive topic.” “I understand the media interest in this problem, but I don’t think that telling what exactly, when and how it is provided will bring us closer to peace in Ukraine,” he said at a briefing following the meeting in Luxembourg.
“The pace of transferring military aid to Kyiv is increasing”
According to the chairman of the EU Military Committee, Robert Briger, this time the council has really succeeded “in giving a clear picture of the extent to which individual member states can provide support, and in what quantities.” For example, according to Briger, it is known that Germany will supply additional systems, Italy is considering the possibility of providing various medium-range missiles. “This means that it will be easier to coordinate support in the future, since we have provided a greater degree of transparency,” explained the head of the EU Military Committee, but declined to provide specific data.
He emphasized that the pace of transferring military assistance to Kyiv is increasing, and all ministers stated their understanding that the current moment is decisive. “This means that meeting Ukraine’s immediate needs is a priority for the coming months. And above all, it is important to prevent and stop Russia’s all-out summer offensive,” he said.
Issue: Protecting arms supplies
In addition, Briger pointed out the need to protect shipments of Western weapons to Ukraine. “It has become clear that the supply of weapons and ammunition due to the air threat is only possible with escort,” the general emphasized. “And this aspect must also be guaranteed, because if systems that are either already on the way to Ukraine or have already arrived there can become the target of Russian attacks, then this, of course, does not make sense. Therefore, precautions must be taken here as well.”
The head of the Dutch Ministry of Defense, Kaisa Ollongren, spoke to reporters regarding the same thing. She was asked why military aid to Ukraine is taking so long. “It doesn’t take a lot of time to check what we have in stock: we know exactly what we have. A lot of time is taken up by the limited ability to deliver weapons there, and this requires not only time, but also cooperation,” she said. “We are exploring all possibilities and also negotiating with other countries: sometimes you have to talk to get action.”
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2024-04-26 00:26:36
