The European Union will move towards the joint procurement of munitions to supply Kiev, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday in Tallinn, Estonia, on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukraine will prevail because the Ukrainians will not waver or back down. And because Europe and its partners and allies will stand firm. We are increasing our military support and will use joint procurement to supply Ukraine with time-sensitive military hardware, including 155-millimeter rounds of ammunition. We are working with our defense industry to increase production of these ammunitions and other equipment needed by Ukrainian forces,” said the president of the community executive
Von der Leyen spoke in Tallinn at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to mark the anniversary of Estonian independence, but also the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Addressing the Prime Minister of Estonia, the Baltic country that recently submitted a proposal for an allocation of four billion euros from Member States to the European Peace Support Facility for the joint purchase of ammunition to supply Kiev, Von der Leyen assured him that his request was heard and will be answered.
“Dear Kaja, you drew our attention to this issue, and rightly so, at the last European Council [09 de fevereiro]and we will take action,” said the German president.
A political decision could be taken at the informal meeting of EU Defense Ministers scheduled for March 7 and 8 in Stockholm, in which the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will present concrete proposals to the 27 , after the matter was already discussed earlier this week in Brussels at the level of the heads of diplomacy.
The Estonian prime minister reiterated the importance of increasing military support for Ukraine to help a people showing “unprecedented courage” to resist Russian aggression.
“The free world needs to show the same courage and support Ukraine until the last Russian soldier has left Ukraine. Ukraine has to win and for that we have to believe in Ukraine’s victory. Ukraine needs weapons and ammunition to win the war. Therefore, I proposed that the Member States move towards the joint purchase of ammunition”, he declared, recalling that joint purchases in the EU proved to be a success with vaccines during the covid-19 pandemic, and must now be replicated with the ammunition for Ukraine.
“We have to keep in mind that the threat posed by Russia is long-term. We cannot be afraid of Russia’s terrorist tactics. Ukraine and Russia’s other neighbors are not afraid, so why should other countries be?” she questioned.
The NATO Secretary General reaffirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not preparing for peace, but for more war”, so it is necessary “to give Ukraine what it needs to prevail”.
“Some fear that our support for Ukraine could escalate. But there are no risk-free options, and the biggest risk of all is if President Putin wins, because the message to him and other authoritarian leaders would be that they can use force to get what they want,” something that “would make the world be more dangerous,” he said.
“Therefore, supporting Ukraine is not only the right action to take in moral terms, but it is also in our security interests. Hence the unprecedented support that the Allies have given, working hand in hand with the EU.” said Jens Stoltenberg.
In her speech, the president of the Commission stressed the need to strengthen military support for Ukraine because “Putin is sending hundreds of thousands of young Russians as cannon fodder to the trenches of Ukraine.”
“What we have seen and heard this week from Moscow tells us that as battlefield losses mount, so does desperation, deceit and misinformation, showing the pressure the Kremlin is under. But it also shows renewed dangers for Ukraine, so Ukraine must be given the means it needs, until Russia leaves Ukraine,” he defended.
Von der Leyen promised that, in addition to “financial, economic and military support”, the EU and its allies will continue to “increase the pressure on Russia”, and welcomed the result of the vote on Thursday at the United Nations, which, he argued, “says a lot, since 141 countries voted in favor of the resolution condemning Russia” for the aggression that began a year ago.
Source: TSF
