MEPs debate on the EU to live up to its commitments and deliver more military assistance to war-torn Ukraine. With Russian air attacks intensifying across Ukraine and with American military support currently held up by the U.S. congress, MEPs call on European countries to do more to help the Kyiv government defend its territory for as long as necessary. This news item shows extracts from the debate on keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine.

EU - Ukraine (T)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

GAHLER, Michael (EPP, DE)

troubles in Ukraine (T)

ŠEFČOVIČ, Maroš (SK, EC)

AUŠTREVIČIUS, Petras (Renew, LT)

MARQUES, Pedro (S&D, PT)

VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL, Viola (Greens/EFA, DE)

solidarity with Ukraine (T)

consequences of the war in Ukraine (T)

LAHBIB, Hadja (BE)

Keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (French), Hadja LAHBIB, Belgian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Military support from the European Union, its members states since February 2022 amounts to about 27,000,003,300 missiles have been delivered to Ukraine from existing stocks and by the redefining of delivery order priorities, rockets have gone through the joint procurement and via future orders.

SOUNDBITE (French), Hadja LAHBIB, Belgian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Our support remains firm via a military assistance and support to Ukraine. That that has an exceptional contribution in training and assistance to troops, as several thousands have been trained.

SOUNDBITE (French), Hadja LAHBIB, Belgian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, We will continue to play supply of financial support, economic support, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine and its population for as long as necessary. Ukraine is our priority, our top priority in foreign policy today, and it will remain so.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&#353; &#352;EF&#268;OVI&#268;, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Interinstitutional relations and Foresight, The EU is also intensifying its efforts to incentivise Member States to commonly procure the most critical and urgent defence products from the European defence industry. The instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement at Europa, which has adopted last October, will play an important role in this context.

SOUNDBITE (German), Michael GAHLER (EPP, DE), We must deliver. More specifically, that means for the member States a long term contracts to industry that will increase capacity and people will be taken on in the factories and production will be ramped up. It is vital, vital for the 155 millimetre shells to be transferred to the Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pedro MARQUES (S&amp;D, PT), The inability of the Council to agree on the financing to Ukraine is deeply concerning and disappointing. Minister and this is a message I'd like to convey directly to you. And the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing their support is at least disturbing. Ukraine is fighting for their bare existence. Their victory prevents us from fighting ourselves against the rogues imperialist state of Putin that there is no regard for the international law.

SOUNDBITE (English), Petras AU&#352;TREVI&#268;IUS (Renew, LT), I call on the EU Member States to honour the commitments they have made to Ukraine and its people. Ukraine has no choice but to fight for its survival. Paying a high price in the lives of its people and other devastating losses.

SOUNDBITE (German), Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Greens/EFA, DE), If this wall falls, then we will see Russian tanks in European cities. So this is of a of interest because ballistic missiles are being sent to Russia by Iran and to others and North Korea. We need to make sure that any thing that we produce, any shell that we produce for Ukraine, is to protect our own countries, because Putin wants to move to the Baltic states and to Poland, and he will go even further. And as Putin has repeated, the borders of Russia, don't stop anywhere.