European Council President in favor of supplying tanks to Ukraine

"Russia has pursued a strategy of destruction and terror in Ukraine. We have witnessed this strategy in Bakhmut, in Soledar or, more recently, in Dnipro. But Ukrainians are resisting, and they will continue to resist. And we, the European Union, will continue to support them for as long as it takes. We will continue our military support, thanks to an increase of the European Peace facility. The time is now. They urgently need more [military] equipment, and I’m personally in favour of supplying tanks to Ukraine," President of the European Council Charles Michel said at the European Parliament meeting on the outcome of the European Council, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the EU leaders approved a EUR 18 billion macro-financial assistance program to Ukraine and increased the pressure on the Kremlin by adopting the 9th package of sanctions.

"We are also increasing our material aid, especially to help Ukrainians get through this winter as Russia continues to destroy critical infrastructure. We sent about 80,000 tonnes of various materials, including generators, boilers and transformers. A lot of help comes from the EU member states, which have already allocated about 50 billion euros to Ukraine. According to Eurobarometer data, European citizens support such efforts. Our citizens know that supporting Ukraine means supporting peace, democracy, and international order," the President of the European Council emphasized.

As reported, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has been providing Ukraine with meaningful political, economic, financial, humanitarian, and security assistance. In particular, over the past year, the EU allocated EUR 19 billion in aid to Ukraine. On January 17, the European Commission transferred the first EUR 3 billion from the package of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for 2023 totaling EUR 18 billion.

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