In the high-intensity war Russia unleashed against Ukraine, the latter needs not only political support and money to fight back and to push out the invader. “Crucially, it needs weapons and ammunition, as weapons without ammunition are useless,” reads a story by the EU’s chief diplomat published on the European Union External Action website last week.
“Right now, the Russian stocks and use of artillery shells are much higher than Ukraine’s – and the price for this difference is paid in Ukrainian lives. We have said repeatedly that the defense of Ukrainian sovereignty is existential – for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe. We cannot want this goal without giving Ukraine the means to achieve it,” says Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Referring to the EU’s €2 billion plan to provide Ukraine with a million artillery shells from their stockpiles and new purchases over the next year, Borrell notes that “this decision will raise the question of how giving ever more weapons can bring an end to this horrible war.” His answer is that “to defend itself and end the war, Ukraine needs both weapons and ammunition – for as long as Russia keeps attacking and bombing Ukraine.”
Borrell pointed out that the E.U. wants peace, and so does Ukraine. “But we do not just seek any kind of peace. We want a just and sustainable peace based on the U.N. Charter, where Russia withdraws its troops from all the territory of Ukraine that it currently occupies. This is also why we support President Zelenskyy’s peace formula.”
“In this war, history and justice are on the side of Ukraine. But we need to accelerate the march of history. Our military support and our decision to buy ammunition together serve the cause of a just peace in Ukraine. It is the right decision and a necessary one,” said Borrell.
