The EU leaders meeting in Brussels gave their support for increasing ammunition deliveries to Ukraine. The EU plans to donate one million artillery shells to Ukraine over the next 12 months.
BRUSSELS Prime minister Sanna Marini according to me, sending a million grenades to Ukraine is a good start. However, the EU countries must be able to speed up the production of defense equipment even more to support Ukraine.
– The will is clearly there. It has been confirmed today. But we have to get to the concrete level, Marin said at the media meeting held after the first day of the meeting.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi appealed to EU leaders to increase arms aid via video link. Finland announced on Thursday that it will increase its defense equipment aid to Ukraine.
– We still have a lot of work to do in order to make the European defense industry stronger, work in more shifts and deliver all the help and support to Ukraine that they need, Marin commented.
Ukraine needs heavy equipment
The prime minister emphasizes that Ukraine also needs heavy equipment, such as tanks and fighter jets.
On Thursday evening, he did not take a position on whether Finnish Hornet fighters could be sent to Ukraine. According to him, the issue needs to be discussed in Finland as well.
The summit also expressed its concern about Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia. The chairman of the commission Ursula von der Leyen according to which it is a war crime.
He said that he is cooperating with the Polish Prime Minister to organize international support for the return of the children.
– We are trying to create international pressure and use all existing means to find out the children’s whereabouts, von der Leyen said.
Sweden’s NATO process spoke
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson had a conversation with his Hungarian colleague during the meeting Viktor Orbán with Sweden’s NATO process in Hungary.
Orbán did not give an explanation as to why Hungary is about to accept Finland as a member of NATO before Sweden.
According to Kristersson, Orbán has assured that Sweden’s membership will not be delayed because of Hungary.
Today, EU leaders are discussing the economic prospects of the euro area. Leaders are expected to issue guidelines regarding the debt sustainability of EU countries and the operation of the banking system.