BRUSSELS.- The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, obtained his second promise of $1 billion in as many days for his war with Russia on Tuesday, during a whirlwind tour of the European Union.
The promise for 2024 came from Belgium, which accompanied the money with a commitment to provide 30 F-16 fighters over the next four years.
“Our task is to use the first F-16s this year and in a way that strengthens our positions,” Zelenskyy said.
The Netherlands added to the announcements by promising to work with key EU partners to assemble a Patriot anti-aircraft system, something Zelenskyy sees as crucial to preventing Russia from hitting its power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating gliding bombs that They leave extensive destruction.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the announcements but insisted much more is needed. “We have seen some progress, but more progress and more anti-aircraft systems are urgently needed in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said on his way to a meeting with EU defense ministers.
The day before, Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement with Spain that allocates 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine in 2024 and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027.
Bilateral aid is essential as the 27-nation bloc again struggles to overcome Hungarian objections to providing billions of euros in military aid to kyiv in its third year of war since the full-scale Russian invasion began. in 2022.
It is estimated that the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, considered Russia’s greatest ally in the bloc, has paralyzed aid worth an estimated €6.5 billion ($7 billion). Member states have broad veto powers and Hungary has long blocked funds aimed at improving Ukraine’s defense.
“That’s the sad thing, that we have the money, we have the capacity, but we are still awaiting decisions to implement” aid measures for Ukraine, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Zelenskyy met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo on Tuesday and, in addition to the money immediately obtained, secured a security agreement to provide guarantees of military aid until Ukraine joins the NATO alliance.
Since Russia began a spring offensive around eastern Kharkiv, Zelenskyy has insisted that Ukraine urgently needs seven more American-made Patriot batteries to counter Russian attacks.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, meeting with her colleagues on Tuesday, said such a system would be put together “in a short space of time.” The Netherlands has the crucial parts to build a Patriot system, and other EU countries will contribute other important parts and ammunition.
“Ukraine is also fighting the battle for Europe,” he added.
Hungary, for its part, remains opposed to a rapid distribution of centralized EU aid, which has upset virtually all of its allies in the bloc.
“We need all these critical decisions, and yet there are too many decisions that are not made,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told reporters before the meeting. “The urgency is very, very great.”
Zelenskyy was scheduled to visit Belgium and Spain earlier this month, but canceled all foreign trips after Russia launched its offensive against the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine has repeatedly attempted to attack behind Russian lines, often with drones, although the Russian response to new technology used in unmanned vehicles has improved in recent months.
The Russian offensive launched with improving weather has been the biggest military test for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Slow aid deliveries from its Western partners, especially a long delay in US military assistance, have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russia’s largest army and air force.
Source: With information from AP
