Solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression is being organized in Western countries. United States, Canada, European Union, Israel… Many have promised to send material military and humanitarian aid to deal with the invasion decided by Vladimir Putin. “The anti-war coalition is working,” rejoiced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, long critical of Western wait-and-see attitude, on Saturday February 26. “Weapons and equipment from our partners are on their way to Ukraine,” he said on Twitter.
The United States will provide new military aid to Ukraine in the amount of 350 million dollars, to help Kiev fight the Russian invasion, announced the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken. “This assistance will include new defensive military assets that will enable Ukraine to combat the armour, airborne and other threats it faces today.”
“This is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation,” the secretary of state added. Antony Blinken recalled that the United States had released 60 million dollars in military assistance to Ukraine in the fall, then 200 million more in December, “while the (Russian) threat materialized”. With the 350 million announced on Saturday, “this brings to more than a billion dollars the total security assistance that the United States has granted to Ukraine during the past year”, he indicates.
The Canadian government announced on Sunday February 27 the sending to the Ukrainian army of protective military equipment, such as helmets and bulletproof vests, but again ruled out any deployment of troops against the Russian army. Ukrainian soldiers “need helmets, bulletproof vests, gas masks and night vision equipment,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said at a press conference.
Ottawa will thus provide 25 million Canadian dollars (17.6 million euros) of military protective equipment to the Ukrainian army, said Mélanie Joly, saying that she had received the request “directly” from the Vice-Premier. Ukrainian Minister, Olha Stefanishyna.
“I want to be very clear: we intend to do more,” insisted the head of Canadian diplomacy, a few hours after her government closed its airspace to Russian aircraft. This material will be “quickly” sent to the Ukrainian army via Poland, also indicated the Canadian Minister of Defense, Anita Anand. Canada announced on February 14 the shipment of arms and ammunition to Ukraine, a first, accompanied by a loan of 500 million Canadian dollars (347 million euros).
Missiles, rocket launchers, machine guns… European countries, long reluctant to deliver arms to Ukraine, have finally been convinced by the violence of the Russian invasion, even if their first shipments seem meager in the face of Moscow’s firepower.
For the first time in its history, the European Union will fund the purchase and delivery of arms and other equipment to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday. “This is a historic turning point,” she said in an online address.
Brussels will propose to the Twenty-Seven to use an emergency funding line from the EU “to provide Ukrainian forces with lethal weapons, as well as fuel, protective equipment and medical supplies”, specified to its alongside the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. The EU will release 450 million euros to provide weapons, he said again in the evening. Member States are prepared to supply combat aircraft to the Ukrainian armed forces.
At the end of January, when more than 150,000 Russian soldiers were already massed on the Ukrainian border, the German government, camped on its traditional positions hostile to arms deliveries, had drawn ridicule by announcing the supply of… 5000 military helmets in Kiev.
Germany has now broken a taboo by agreeing to deliver weapons to Ukraine at war, thus breaking its policy of banning all exports of lethal weapons in conflict zones. Berlin has authorized the delivery to Kiev of 1,000 anti-tank rocket launchers, 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles and nine howitzers, the government announced.
Germany also announced the shipment to Ukraine of fourteen armored vehicles as well as 10,000 tons of fuel. “Other support measures are currently being studied,” said a government source.
The French state has sent 33 tons of humanitarian aid to Poland to help the Ukrainians, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Monday, February 28. These are “tents, medicine, food”, “everything that helps people to be welcomed in the best conditions”, he added. More than 30 tonnes of material will also leave for Moldova at the beginning of the week.
Two Civil Security planes “full of medicine”, according to the minister, are also due to arrive in Poland on Tuesday.
On Saturday evening, France also announced in turn that it had taken the decision to deliver more military defense equipment to Ukraine as well as fuel support. She will also bring a resolution on humanitarian aid to Ukraine to the UN Security Council on Monday. During a defense council meeting at the Elysée around President Emmanuel Macron, “it was decided to deliver additional defense equipment to the Ukrainian authorities as well as fuel support,” said the presidency.
The general staff of the armies had previously indicated that it had “acted” on deliveries of defensive weapons to Kiev, Ukraine having in particular, according to its ambassador in Paris, requested “means of anti-aircraft protection” and digital.
The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, for its part, indicated that it had “shipped on Saturday some of the goods already promised, in particular sniper rifles and helmets”. In a letter to the Dutch parliament, he further wrote that he would supply “as soon as possible 200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine”.
“The planned delivery of military goods was and is intended for Ukrainian self-defense against the armed attack by Russia,” the letter said. “Other goods will be dispatched as soon as possible, but the Netherlands, like other countries, faces logistical challenges,” the letter further explains. The Netherlands also announced 20 million euros in humanitarian aid.
The Czech Republic, which had already approved a donation to Kiev of 4,000 artillery shells, announced on Saturday that it would send “in the coming hours” an arsenal of 30,000 pistols, 7,000 assault rifles, 3,000 machine guns and several dozen sniper rifles as well as a million cartridges, for a value of 7.6 million euros.
“The Ministry of Defense will also take care of transportation to a place determined by the Ukrainian side. Our help is not over,” Minister Jana Cernochova said in a tweet. At the end of January, Prague had already approved a donation to Kiev of 4,000 artillery shells worth 1.5 million euros still to be delivered.
Sweden will break with its doctrine excluding delivering weapons to a country at war and send 5,000 anti-tank rocket launchers to Ukraine, the government announced on Sunday in a historic choice. This “exceptional decision” is unprecedented since 1939, when Sweden assisted Finland invaded by the USSR, said Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
“For me as Prime Minister, the first and only question is what best defends the security of Sweden and the Swedish people. My conclusion is that our security is best defended when we defend Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russia,” she told a press conference. Besides anti-tank weapons – AT-4 class single-shot rocket launchers – an area of expertise of the Swedish arms industry, Stockholm’s contribution will also include 135,000 combat rations, 5,000 helmets and 5,000 vests. bulletproof.
At the same time in Copenhagen, Denmark also announced the shipment of arms and military equipment, including 2,700 anti-tank rocket launchers.
Denmark also indicated that it would let the volunteers join the international brigades that Ukraine intends to form to fight the Russian invasion.
Belgium announced to provide 2000 machine guns, 3800 tons of fuel, 3000 additional automatic rifles and 200 anti-tank weapons.
Portugal will notably deliver to Ukraine “vests, helmets, night vision goggles, grenades, ammunition of different calibers” or even “G3 automatic rifles”, specifies the Ministry of Defense. “Portugal supports Ukraine in defending itself against an unjustified, illegal and unacceptable invasion,” Defense Minister Joao Cravinho wrote on his Twitter account.
In Lisbon, Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva also told CNN Portugal on Saturday that his country was “totally open” to welcoming “thousands of Ukrainians” forced to flee their country. He also said that Portugal had “suspended” the examination of applications from Russian citizens for “golden visas”, residence permits granted to wealthy foreign investors.
The Romanian government for its part specified that it would send to Kiev “fuel, bullet-proof vests, helmets, ammunition and other military equipment, for a total cost of 3 million euros”.
According to the Defense Ministry, eleven Romanian military hospitals are also ready to receive wounded Ukrainians.
Italy has paid 110 million euros in aid to the Ukrainian government, “a concrete sign of solidarity and support”, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced on Twitter on Sunday. “I communicated to my colleague (the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs) Dmytro Kuleba that I have just signed a resolution which provides for the immediate payment of 110 million euros to the government of Kyiv, a concrete sign of solidarity and support from Italy to a people with whom we have a fraternal relationship”, wrote the minister on his Twitter account.
In a longer message posted on Facebook, the minister justifies this decision by saying that “Ukraine is besieged without having committed any fault, attacked with continuous bombardments by the Russian government”. “Peace is the goal for which we all continue to work every day and we are responding to Russian weapons with sanctions, he added. The European Union and all the allies must form a common front and continue to do proof of cohesion”.
Spain will send 20 tonnes of aid to Ukraine, mainly medical equipment and defensive equipment.
Greece will send “defensive equipment” and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday the dispatch of 100 tonnes of aid to civilians in Ukraine. “In the next two days, a plane will land in Ukraine with 100 tons of humanitarian material for civilians in the combat zones and for those trying to get out,” he told the Council. Weekly Ministers in Jerusalem, according to a statement from his office.
These are “water purifiers, medical equipment, medicines, tents, blankets and sleeping bags and other aids that can assist civilians who find themselves outside their homes in the cold”, specified the communicated. On Friday, the prime minister offered to provide “any necessary humanitarian aid” to Ukraine during a telephone conversation with its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He also assured Sunday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “was doing everything possible to help Israelis wanting to leave Ukraine”.