Kuleba calls on EU ministers to provide Ukraine with more weapons and confiscate Russian assets
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on EU ministers to increase arms supplies, approve a long-term support program, confiscate Russian assets, and cut off supplies of critical components to Russia.
Ukraine is calling on the EU to increase arms supplies, approve a long-term support program, confiscate Russian assets and cut off supplies of critical components to Russia. This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday during a speech at the first EU Foreign Affairs Council of the year, as quoted by the Foreign Ministry, UNN reports.
Strengthening air defense remains a priority. "Patriots, NASAMS, IRIS-T and SAMP-T are acronyms that have saved entire cities and thousands of lives. I also call for accelerating the supply of artillery shells, drones of all types, and long-range missiles with a radius of 300+ kilometers. The more shells, the lower the losses; the longer the radius, the shorter the war will be
The Foreign Minister reminded of the need to create a common space of European defense industries and a European defense hub in Ukraine.
Kuleba also noted that Ukraine expects quick steps in the first half of 2024 to open negotiations on EU accession, including the approval of the negotiation framework and the first intergovernmental conference.
"We have to keep up the pace by screening the legislation and preparing the negotiation framework. We expect that it will be approved as soon as possible, immediately after the European Commission assesses Ukraine's implementation of the four steps in the coming months, which will allow us to hold the first intergovernmental conference in the first half of this year," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister emphasized.
Kuleba emphasized the importance of the European Council's approval on February 1 of a €50 billion long-term financing program for Ukraine.
"This financing is important for the financial stability, functioning of state institutions and the economy of Ukraine amid Russian aggression. Its approval will be the best investment in Europe's security," he emphasized.
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The foreign minister also noted that Russia is still able to obtain some technologies and equipment, including chips and microchips, which it uses to produce weapons.
"We need a ban on the supply of dual-use goods and a number of civilian goods that Russia uses to produce weapons. Your countries have some of the best financial intelligence in the world, which is able to detect and block the relevant business schemes," the Minister said.
Kuleba also called for speeding up the approval of the next package of sanctions against Russia. He also expressed hope that the work on finding mechanisms to use Russia's frozen assets for Ukraine's recovery will be successful.
"All blocked Russian assets should be used to compensate for the consequences of Russian aggression, defense and restoration of Ukraine. Ways to implement this decision can and should be found by the EU together with the Group of Seven. There are all international legal grounds for this. Russia has been recognized as an aggressor in a number of UN General Assembly resolutions, and therefore is responsible for compensating for the damage caused. There is no fairer solution than to do this using frozen Russian assets," the Foreign Minister said.
