The leaders of many countries painstakingly traveled by train to Kyiv to show their sympathy to the Ukrainians on the second anniversary of the war on Saturday.
Even more, the Ukrainians would have appreciated the fact that weapons and ammunition had been brought as gifts.
Reporters asked the president of Ukraine From Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the press conference on Saturday, what he wants to add, what is especially lacking in the war-torn Ukraine.
– Everything we need should come in time, Zelenskyi replied.
From the answer, one can deduce the pain that the EU in particular makes big promises, the fulfillment of which will take time and is uncertain.
In the spring, for example, the EU promised to deliver one million ammunition to Ukraine within a year. The schedule doesn’t hold. The ammunition is expected to arrive at the end of this year.
TÅ¡ekki has promised to collect a million ammunition from the world, but needs money to acquire them.
Germany has so far refused to send its Taurus missiles to Ukraine, the destructive power of which could have a major impact on the course of the war.
It was difficult for Zelenskyi to make direct demands to the leaders of the states at a press conference when the Prime Minister of Canada was standing next to him Justin Trudeauwho had just promised Ukraine four billion euros in support to turn around the economy in wartime conditions.
In the same row, the chairman of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen boasted that the first installment of one and a half billion of the 50 billion euros agreed by the EU leaders will be paid in March.
Zelenskyi has learned during the war that you get more results with diplomacy than with tough demands.
The point of arguing from joint debt to defense
Von der Leyen compares the defense equipment industry to the start of corona vaccine production. Even then, it took time to develop the vaccine, but the vaccine was born and finally the distribution went smoothly.
Defense is expected to follow the Commission’s priority. The green development emphasized by the current commission is getting less.
Von der Leyen, who is applying for a further term in the commission, wants to establish a defense commissioner’s portfolio in the commission. In addition to defense, he should also spend more money and hold joint projects gives birth to more.
Investments by weapon and ammunition manufacturers are held back especially by the lack of long orders. Manufacturers don’t dare to invest in factories because of a short peak in demand, but customers, that is, in practice, governments, should commit to longer orders.
Commissioner preparing the defense industry strategy Thierry Breton has proposed to speed up production in the sector fund of one hundred billion euros.
The sums and goals sound so wild that the collective debt to be taken out in the name of the EU will soon be discussed again. Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas already proposed one hundred billion Eurobonds for defense, with which the EU would collect funding from the market. At least he got support from the French president.
The need to invest in joint defense procurement has been talked about for a long time in the EU, but there has been no real interest. Finland was one of the most enthusiastic drivers of EU defense before NATO membership, for others, NATO was enough.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine brought the EU’s defense capability to the fore. This is reinforced by the uncertainty about NATO’s development Donald Trump’s in a possible new presidential term in the United States.
Von der Leyen needs Melon’s support
Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni instead, he confirmed in Kiev that he is now one of the group. He vehemently condemned the Russian attack and praised Ukraine for fighting for all of Europe.
– This place is a symbol of the loss of Moscow. Here we are thanking those men and women who didn’t run away two years ago, but fought for themselves, their families and the things that were important to them, Meloni praised at the memorial ceremony at Antonov airport Here, where Ukraine stopped the Russian attack in the early days of the war.
Many had doubts in advance about what line Meloni, who represents the far-right Italian Brothers party, would choose as prime minister.
There have been some encouraging signs. For example, during the summit, Meloni was persuading Hungary Viktor Orbania to approve Ukraine support. Orbán and Meloni are members of the Henghemo tribe from their party background.
According to a commission source, Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen get along well. For von der Leyen, Meloni’s support and building a bridge to the right would be necessary, as he needs even wider support from different party groups in his bid for a further term as head of the commission.
Meloni’s party belongs to the ECR group of conservatives in the European Parliament, which is predicted to gain additional seats in June’s European Parliament elections.
It is easier to sell defense projects to the EU’s various party groups than green projects, which many groups are tired of.
The journalist participated in a journalist’s trip to Ukraine at the invitation of the EU Commission.