Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), EU leaders have pledged to continue their support for Ukraine’s “right to self-defense.”
Leaders from the 27 Member States met for a summit in Brussels on 21 February. The summit dealt with other issues but Ukraine, now in the third year of its conflict with Russia, dominated the event.
After the get-together, they issued a strongly worded statement that reinforced EU backing for Ukraine.
It said that “two years into the war of aggression that Russia launched against Ukraine, and ten years after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, both in manifest violation of its obligations under the UN Charter and international law, the European Council is ever more steadfast in its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.”
The long statement added, “Russia must not prevail.”
It went on, “Given the urgency of the situation, the European Union is determined to continue providing Ukraine and its people all the necessary political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed.
“The European Council invites allies and partners across the world to join in this endeavor.”
EU leaders, in the statement, said that “as it exercises its inherent right to self-defense, Ukraine urgently needs air defense systems, ammunition, and missiles.
“At this critical moment, the European Union and Member States will speed up and intensify the delivery of all the necessary military assistance.
“The European Council welcomes all recent initiatives in this regard, including the one launched by Czechia to urgently procure ammunition for Ukraine, which will enable the swift fulfillment of the EU’s commitment to provide Ukraine with one million rounds of artillery ammunition,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the third high-level meeting of the EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue took has taken place in Kyiv.
The meeting on 21 February focused on efforts to keep Ukraine’s exports and imports moving via the Solidarity Lanes, improving connectivity, safety, and security as well as sustainability.
Reaction to the meeting came from the EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean.
The official said: “EU-Ukraine cooperation is already very close and occurs daily on the Solidarity Lanes, logistic routes that help Ukraine import and export its goods.
“We are in the process of firmly anchoring Ukraine’s transport network into that of the EU, and as a consequence, our commercial exchanges have increased significantly.”
The high-level dialogue, said the Commission also allows the two sides to discuss long-term priorities “for our cooperation, working together on Ukraine’s reconstruction, including its transport sector and network.”
“These will be concrete deliverables on Ukraine’s path to EU accession.”
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has significantly impacted global trade routes, which has led to unprecedented cooperation to improve Ukraine’s connections to the world.
The solidary lanes established in 2022, have allowed Ukraine to export 126 million tonnes of goods valued at around €47 billion and import around 47 million tonnes of goods valued at around €96 billion.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the need to prioritize transport safety and security through the alignment of regulations, sharing best practices and expertise, and discussing cooperation on reducing transport emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. Both parties also expressed their intention to continue working towards full membership for Ukraine in the Transport Community treaty.
