EU’s foreign, defense ministers to discuss Ukraine in Luxembourg

On Monday, April 22, the EU Council of Ministers will meet in the Jumbo format, which involves participation of foreign and defense ministers, to discuss the situation pf Ukraine and ways to speed up military aid to the nation.

EU spokesman Peter Stano spoke of this in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We are well aware of the needs of Ukraine, and the European Union and its member states are trying to do everything they can to help Ukraine to defend itself... This something that we will again be discussing in the so-called Jumbo format – the meeting of foreign and defense ministers of the EU next week on Monday in Luxembourg. …We are trying to cover the needs with whatever the member states can provide. But alternately, it’s in the hands of the member states, what to send to Ukraine and at what point," the EU spokesman said.

Asked by reporters whether Western allies could deter Russian attacks against Ukraine the way they did with the Iranian airstrike against Israel, Stano noted that the situation in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Iran are significantly different.

"Of course, I would not draw parallels between what happened over the weekend between Israel and Iran and what is happening in Ukraine. The fact is that the European Union and its member states are providing Ukraine unprecedented assistance for the third year running, this assistance includes also military assistance, including fighter jets, including air defense systems," the spokesman said.

He recalled that the High Representative of the EU continues to work with the member states, urging them them to provide more military aid to Ukraine, and to do it faster. The EU is aware that these needs are urgent. Russian aggression continues, and Putin shows his intention to further escalate it. This, in particular, was manifested in recent Russian attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure and other civilian targets.

"Of course, this is something the High Representative regularly discusses with Foreign Minister (Dmytro – ed.) Kuleba," Stano added.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in an interview with PBS, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that without the help from the United States, Ukraine will stand no chance of prevailing in the war against Russia. Recently, he recalled, the Russians were able to destroy the Trypillia TPP near Kyiv due to the lack of surface-to-air missiles in the area.