Ukraine's Foreign Minister urges EU not to follow US's example and be more active in supporting Ukraine
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, has called upon the EU to make its own decisions rather than to wait for decisions on military and humanitarian aid from the US.
Source: Kuleba in an interview for Politico, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Kuleba remarked that US support is important to Ukraine, but he urged Europe not to underestimate itself, referring to its tendency to "watch closely" what happens in Washington during decision-making.
Quote: "Europe provides a lot of support and has the capacity to continue providing it. But this psychological kind of dependence on the position of the United States is also an element of the game."
Kuleba reiterated that the EU’s incapacity to demonstrate unity across the bloc in support of enlargement would have "devastating strategic consequences" for it at a time when the world needs "consistency and sustainability".
"Russia and other actors are watching this process closely because they need a weak European Union," he said. "So they are interested in slowdowns, in delays, in the demonstration of inability to make historic decisions."
"The next country that Russia may attack will be a European country, it will not be somewhere else. So Europe has to be more self-confident in its capacity to defend itself," Kuleba added.
Background:
- On 14-15 December, EU leaders are to make a decision concerning the start of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations and the allocation of €50 billion of aid for Kyiv at the summit. But there is a risk that these decisions will not be taken due to Hungary’s veto, and there is more and more talk of war fatigue and disappointment due to the stalemate on the front lines.
- Earlier, it was revealed that over a hundred leading European lawmakers had prepared a joint letter to members of the US Congress calling on them to unblock supplemental funding for Ukraine, which has become a matter of political debate.
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