EU countries ultimately decide for themselves what weapons to supply to Ukraine, whether tanks or fighter jets, because they own the military equipment and have the relevant competence, EU spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano said Tuesday ahead of an informal meeting of the EU defense ministers
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) EU countries ultimately decide for themselves what weapons to supply to Ukraine, whether tanks or fighter jets, because they own the military equipment and have the relevant competence, EU spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano said Tuesday ahead of an informal meeting of the EU defense ministers.
"For the EU, it is top priority to support Ukraine... and be it tanks, be it fighter jets... it is the decision of the member states, they decide in the end what they provide, because they are in possession of these things or they have the competences to decide about the deliveries of the necessary equipment or material or whatever Ukraine needs," Stano told a briefing in Brussels.
Stockholm is hosting an informal meeting of EU defense ministers from March 7-8 to discuss military support for Ukraine.
Earlier in March, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported that the EU had developed a plan to stimulate the supply of NATO standard ammunition to Ukraine both in the short and long term, and also prepared proposals to replenish the arsenals of the European armies through increased production and joint procurement. The first point of the plan to increase military supplies to Kiev involves the urgent dispatch of ammunition that is already in stockpiles. The second point of the EU plan envisages efforts to replenish the empty warehouses of the European armies.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is expected to announce these proposals at the defense ministers' informal meeting. The plan may be approved at the upcoming EU summit from March 23-24 after discussions at the EU defense and foreign ministers level.
The West started providing Ukraine with a variety of military support, including anti-tank missiles and mines, howitzers, grenade launchers, mortars and armored vehicles, after Russia launched a military operation there in February 2022. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev, saying that pumping Ukraine with weapons was not conducive to peace talks and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict.
