“It’s not a question of months, it’s a question of days and weeks,” European Council President Charles Michel said after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also promised that additional aid for Ukraine’s air defense would be announced in the coming days.
But Washington’s renewed support risks easing pressure on the EU, said two European diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
After months of stagnation, a $95 billion U.S. aid package passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday and is on its way to the Senate; after approval, it will likely be sent directly to the White House to be signed by President Joe Biden. Of the total amount, $60.8 billion is earmarked for Ukraine to refresh its weapons, replenish silos and fund the logistics needed to get weapons out of storage sites in Europe and onto the front line.
“We will… see… more U.S. deliveries now and then we will see how that will affect the overall calculation,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told reporters Monday, 48 hours after the U.S. vote .
Few EU countries have so far responded publicly to Berlin’s call to send air defense systems to Ukraine, although a senior diplomat said some countries could opt for air defense support on a non-public basis.
Although there are alternative ground-to-air systems, the American-made Patriots are considered by defense experts to be Ukraine’s most effective option against Russia. Six EU countries have Patriots – Germany, Poland, Greece, Romania, Spain and the Netherlands – but it is unclear whether kyiv will donate them.
Politices
