Stop exporting weapons and send them to Ukraine instead, Borrell urges EU countries

euronews (in English)

Member states should temporarily halt exports of weapons to countries other than Ukraine, Josep Borrell said on Monday, asking governments to take a "political decision" and step up ammunition supplies.

Transcript

00:00 "European member states could step up military support to Ukraine by delaying and diverting

00:06 military contracts with other countries," said the EU's foreign policy chief Josef Borrell

00:10 while in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart.

00:14 Ukraine is grappling with obstacles on many fronts, including a diminishing supply of

00:17 missiles, artillery and other weapons on the battlefield.

00:21 It comes as renewed Russian airstrikes in January caused a huge upsurge in civilian

00:25 casualties and destruction across the country.

00:28 "The quickest and cheapest and more effective way of increasing our supply of munition to

00:38 Ukraine is to stop exporting to third countries.

00:43 And this is something that only member states can do.

00:46 And this has been my request.

00:48 The best way of selling more to Ukraine or donating more to Ukraine is to try to tell

00:53 the others, 'Please, wait.

00:55 We are not at war.

00:58 You can wait some months and divert this production to Ukraine.'

01:03 This is a political decision that member states have to take."

01:07 The picture is mixed.

01:08 The EU managed to pass 50 billion euros of financial aid to keep the country running

01:12 and Germany has doubled to 8 billion euros its military support.

01:15 Although some countries haven't fulfilled all of their promises of military aid.

01:20 Kiev is also still counting on 60 billion dollars worth of support from the US Congress

01:24 which has been held up by the Republican Party.

01:27 Meanwhile, experts also say Russia, which has a much bigger manpower and financial support,

01:32 is not making any substantial gains.

01:35 "If you look at the Ukrainian side, you see a lot of problems and you've indicated the

01:41 key ones.

01:42 Manpower problems, problems with outside support and then air defences, which Russia has been

01:48 doing all it can to degrade, are not in great shape.

01:53 And that's where Western and specifically USAID is so important.

01:57 On the other hand, on the Russian side, over the last 14, 16, 18 months, Russia has made

02:03 minuscule progress on the battlefield.

02:05 Russia expended huge numbers of troops to take the city of Bakhmut before the war, a

02:09 city of 70,000.

02:11 Very dubious strategic value.

02:12 They still haven't really finished that operation."

02:14 The EU is also currently considering a 5 billion euro top-up of military aid due in early March.

02:19 Shona Murray, Euronews.

02:20 [SWOOSH]

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