Olaf Scholz calls on Europeans to unite to maintain support for Ukraine
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday called on his European partners to send a “message” of unity in support of Ukraine as the Twenty-Seven must discuss continuing its military and financial aid as well as negotiations over the country's EU accession.
Military support for Ukraine “really requires a joint effort,” Scholz said at a news conference alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “And when we formulate this message from Europe (…), then it is also a message to the Russian President, who obviously hopes that our countries will do and formulate what is necessary.” [leur] Support [à l’Ukraine] faded,” he added. “It would send an important message if we told him not to expect it,” he said.
The German chancellor is stressing European unity as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels to decide whether to continue military and financial support for Ukraine and whether to negotiate with that country, which is at war with Russia to join the EU. On these two issues, Viktor Orban's Hungary threatened to block everything, saying that before a new rapprochement the EU must first have a “strategic debate” on the future of its relations with Ukraine.
For his part, the Dutch prime minister, whose center-right VVD party lost to Geert Wilders' far-right party (PVV) in the parliamentary elections at the end of November, counted on his country's continued support for Ukraine. One of the measures in his program is the interruption of arms supplies to Ukraine. “I am convinced of that despite the defeat [aux dernières élections]“We will have a pro-European majority in Parliament that opposes leaving the European Union and ensures that we can continue to financially support Ukraine and expand Europe to include Ukraine,” Ms. Rutte said.