The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy recently met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba in Stockholm. He urged his country’s allies to do everything possible to allow the counter-offensive to begin as soon as possible.
Given Ukraine’s need for artillery ammunition in the Bakhmut region, the European Union should speed up supplies to the country under Russian attack, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. Without help, Ukraine, whose very existence is at stake, cannot defend itself.
Kuleba: more need for ranged projectiles
At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Stockholm, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry head Dmytro Kuleba called for more support in defense against Moscow. According to Borell after the meeting, Ukraine needs about 1,000 grenades a day in and around Bakhmut, just in the east of the country.
“Ukrainians have a special need. Russians shoot long range and that’s why Ukrainians need to be able to cover the same distance,” Borrell said.
Kuleba urged Ukraine’s allies to review their own engagement. “Instead of asking when the counter-offensive will start, everyone should ask themselves if they’ve done enough to make this offensive and its success possible,” Kuleba said.
Berlin and London want to send more weapons and ammunition
On Saturday, the German government announced that it intends to provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth 2.7 billion euros. This includes tanks, air defense systems and munitions – an announcement that was well received by Borrell.
The British government also wants to make more weapons available. It’s a question of Storm Shadow cruise missiles, it was said from London. Moscow later described this decision as “extremely dangerous” because these weapons could travel a distance of up to 500 kilometers.
Borrell: Ukraine’s EU membership not an issue at Stockholm meeting with Kuleba
At the Stockholm meeting, which was also attended by foreign ministers from the Indo-Pacific region, Kuleba said he would speak with his counterparts on “munitions for long-range artillery and short-term accession talks” to the Union European.
So accession negotiations were not an issue in his talks with Kuleba,” Borrell said. “Ukraine’s accession has been decided and the process is ongoing,” he told reporters. The fact that Ukraine does not have sovereignty over the entire its territory “Cyprus was accepted as a member without having reconquered all its territory and the question remains open”, he recalled, adding that the island is divided into two parts, with the north under Turkish rule.