The delivery of tanks was also initially highly controversial, said the Spaniard. In the end, however, agreement was reached on the subject and the “red line” was crossed. So far, there have been warnings of escalation risks for all arms deliveries, he said.
Borrell did not want to answer the question of whether he himself supports the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine. “My job is to reach a consensus,” said the foreign policy officer. It is not helpful to publicly represent positions that could jeopardize this possibility.
Morawiecki: “Would be in favor of sending these fighter jets”
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, among others, was recently open to a delivery of fighter jets. “If that were a decision for the whole of NATO, I would be in favor of sending these fighter jets,” said the Prime Minister of the German “Bild” newspaper (Thursday edition). It is about “what the NATO countries decide together”.
“We should do things together and in conjunction with a strategic consideration of the entire NATO alliance,” Morawiecki said. The Russian aggression in Ukraine is “a very serious war”. But neither Poland nor NATO as a whole is “involved”. According to Morawiecki, the agreement of all NATO countries is not necessary for the delivery of fighter jets.
Increasing mistrust of Berlin detected
Kyiv has been pushing for the delivery of fighter jets for some time. France and the Netherlands have not ruled that out. The USA, on the other hand, has so far rejected this demand, as has Germany. Morawiecki spoke to the “Bild” newspaper of growing distrust of Berlin in Central and Eastern European countries. Berlin’s support could be significantly greater, he criticized.
“EU stands firm as ever on Ukraine”
Von der Leyen and 15 other commission members have been in Kyiv for consultations since Thursday morning. “We are here together to show that the EU is as committed to Ukraine as ever,” von der Leyen wrote on Twitter. A photo showed her after arriving on the night train. It was “good to be back in Kyiv,” said von der Leyen on the occasion of her fourth visit to Kyiv since the Russian invasion.
Among other things, the meeting will deal with legal options for punishing Russia’s war of aggression and Kiev’s desire to join the EU as quickly as possible. Ukraine has been an official candidate for EU membership since last June.
The meeting was “a strong signal to both partners and enemies,” said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in advance. The EU-Ukraine summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes place on Friday. In addition to von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel will also be taking part. Selenskyj promises new aid commitments from the meeting.
Training mission to be increased
Borrell tweeted early Thursday that they will continue to stand by Ukraine to win the war and rebuild the country. Apparently, the current EU training mission for the Ukrainian armed forces is to be significantly expanded. A new goal is to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers in EU countries, several EU officials said. So far, the goal has been to train around 15,000 soldiers.
“The situation is getting tougher”
At the same time, ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s start of the war on February 24, he warned of an increase in attacks. In the east, the Russians aim to show achievements by that date, Zelenskyy said in his daily video message. “The situation is getting tougher,” he said, praising the resistance of the armed forces.
Three dead and 20 injured in Kramatorsk
Meanwhile, three people died and 20 were injured in a rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine. “Eight residential buildings were damaged, one of which was completely destroyed,” the police wrote on Facebook. The governor of the region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, published an image on Telegram showing a four-story building that was badly damaged.
