EU Pledges Urgent Air Defense Aid for Ukraine
EU leaders meeting in Brussels for a two-day summit reached an agreement on the urgent need to provide Ukraine with air defence capabilities.
While Ukraine was initially expected to be the primary focus of the extraordinary summit held on April 17-18, the conflict in the Middle East largely overshadowed Ukraine.
As is customary with similar European summits, the most substantive discussions and negotiations occurred late into the night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed EU leaders via video link that evening, highlighting the perceived discrepancies between the response to Iran's attack on Israel and the assistance provided to his war-torn country.
Following his emphasis on the devastation caused by Russia's attack on Chernihiv, Zelensky was quoted as saying, "Here in Ukraine, in our part of Europe, unfortunately, we do not benefit from the level of defence that we all witnessed in the Middle East just a few days ago. When, due to the combined efforts of the allies, they managed to shoot down almost all the missiles and drones that attacked Israel."
Zelensky further stated, "Our Ukrainian sky and the sky of our neighbours deserve the same security."
The Ukrainian leader expressed his appreciation for Germany's decision to send an additional Patriot air defence system, stating, "This will really help." He specifically thanked "Olaf Scholz for his efficiency." However, Zelensky also outlined the military aid that is still urgently needed: "Weapons for our soldiers. Artillery shells. Vehicles. Drones. Everything that helps maintain the front line."
Zelensky was quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, we have not yet seen the millions of artillery shells from the European Union that have been the subject of much discussion."
Despite this, leaders emphasised that the EU should "urgently provide Ukraine with air defence and accelerate and intensify the delivery of all necessary military assistance, including artillery and missiles."
Before the meeting, some leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, had indicated that they did not anticipate any new concrete commitments during the evening session. However, as reported by Dan Alexe, they expressed hope that the discussions would lead to a renewed sense of urgency to intensify military support for Ukraine.
Zelensky also reminded EU leaders of his country's eventual accession to the bloc, stating, "We need the European Union to honour its promises, and our people must see Ukraine moving closer to full membership. June is the right time to start negotiations with Ukraine on accession." Leaders, particularly Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and French President Emmanuel Macron, also reiterated their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
