Europe cannot rely on the United States to help Kyiv, the EU’s top diplomat said on Thursday amid delays in Washington’s new funding package.
More than two years after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is facing ammunition shortages, with vital US aid being stalled by Republicans in Congress for months.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said that he regretted “internal politics” in the US was delaying a much-needed aid package for Ukraine worth $60.84 billion.
“We cannot only rely on the US We have to take our (own) responsibility and stop saying, ‘oh, the US will do’,” he said.
Mr Borrell urged European countries to send their anti-missile systems to bolster Ukraine’s air defences as Russia pounds its cities.
“We have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them (out) from our barracks where they are just in case and send them to Ukraine where the war is raging,” Mr Borrell told reporters at a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in the island of Capri.
“Otherwise the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, online, for everything,” he added.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
