“Is it reasonable or unreasonable to ask Ukraine to supply powerful weapons like the famous Panther tanks?” Joseph Borrell asked MEPs during a debate in the European Parliament on the EU’s common security and defense policy.
For the head of European diplomacy, it was “an honor for Europe to help Ukraine defend itself militarily” from Russian aggression and “it will continue to be an honor for Europe to help that country”.
Borel also mentioned the financial assistance given to Ukraine by the European Union and each of the member states, pointing to a value close to 50 billion euros. [do apoio] From America”.
During today’s debate, Borrell expressed hope that the seventh envelope of 500 million euros will be approved to finance the delivery of arms to Ukraine from the European Peace Support Fund, 3,100 million have already been allocated for this purpose.
Today, the European Union committed the first €3 billion of the €18 billion in financial aid it intends to provide to Ukraine in 2023.
“I don’t know if it seems fair or not, but it still doesn’t seem good enough to me, and it won’t be until Ukraine is systematically destroyed by the military of the Russian Federation,” the European said. Chairman, when pressure was put on the German government to export the Panther 2 tanks.
The controversy, among others, led to the resignation on Monday of former German defense minister Christine Lambrecht, who has been replaced by Boris Pistorius, now interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony.
One of his first decisions may be to send Panther tanks to Ukraine, as Germany has already provided Gebhardt and Marder armored personnel carriers.
The Scholz government, along with other partners, insists on any declaration of arms to Ukraine.
The issue will be one of the themes of a meeting of Ukraine’s Defense Liaison Committee on Friday at a US air base in Ramstein, Germany.
“The door to a diplomatic solution to the conflict must remain open, of course,” Borrell said in a debate with MEPs, “but we must be prepared to face a world we do not want”, he warned.
Several European leaders spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos today to support the need to maintain European and transatlantic solidarity over the war in Ukraine and to increase military aid to Kiev by sending modern tanks.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, one of the participants in the debate held at a Swiss tourist hotel as part of the forum, called for arms to fight against Russia and stressed that Ukraine has been sending the same message since the start of the war.
Duda, who was in Ukraine recently, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear to him that Ukraine’s armed forces need modern tanks.
“This is the only way to stop the invasion,” the Polish leader said, as quoted by Spanish agency EFE.
Duda recalled that he had recently announced Poland’s decision to send 14 German Panther tanks to Kiev, but he was “trying to get more support from partners”.
Transfer of Panther tanks to Ukraine requires Germany’s agreement.
Duda took part in a round table with the presidents of Latvia, Kitanas Nauseta and North Macedonia, Stevo Pentarovski, Spanish diplomatic chief Jose Alvarez Bueno and Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikanovskaya.
Nauseda also advocated that “someone has to make the first move”, saying that “tanks are now a very strategic factor”.