EU Defence Ministers meet to coordinate arms supply for Ukraine

EU Defence Ministers meet in Brussels this afternoon to talk about the military situation on the ground in Ukraine, and “coordinate … what we can do with these half a billion euros that yesterday we decided to grant to the Ukrainian armed forces”, EU High Representative Josep Borrell told journalists on arrival at the meeting. 

“These half a billion euros will be devoted to provide defensive arms, high calibre arms, anti-tanks and all kind of equipment in order to repel the aggression. Member States have to provide these arms and we have to coordinate what they are doing and what we can do, additionally, with these resources.”

He added: “We have to provide ammunition, we have to provide the high calibre guns and anti-tank equipment. Also fuel, they need fuel for the tanks, for the planes. All that has to be coordinated.”

Commenting on the referendum in Belarus on Sunday amending the Constitution and granting Belarus the status of a nuclear country, he said: “This is very dangerous. If we start changing the status of countries becoming nuclear. We know what it means for Belarus to be nuclear; it means that Russia will put nuclear weapons in Belarus.”

Asked about Ukraine’s request for EU membership, Borrell said this was not on the agenda of today’s meeting, but added: “Ukraine has clearly an European perspective, but now we have to fight against an aggression. The world cannot afford that a powerful country smashes the neighbour using its military capacities. If we allow it, it is the law of the jungle… And this, for us, Europeans, is an existential threat. We will do everything we can in order to stop it.”

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