The EU press service has announced a donation of mine-clearing system to Ukraine.
The delivery of the DOK-ING MV-10 mine-clearing system to Ukraine was part of the 25-million-euro ($26.9m) EU support package for humanitarian de-mining announced at the EU-Ukraine summit of February 2023.
“While fighting off the aggressor, Ukraine is at the same time already rebuilding,” EU foreign policy Chief, Josep Borrell said during a visit to Kyiv.
“Its mine action operators are taking on the extremely dangerous but essential task of clearing liberated land from the deadly mines Russian aggressors left behind,” he said.
He added, “We are honoured to make the work of Ukrainian de-miners safer and more efficient with this European equipment.”
Earlier, the EU Foreign policy Chief who is in Kyiv on a two-day visit to underline the EU’s support for Ukraine, posted a picture on X social media platform from a shelter.
“Starting my morning in the shelter as air alarms are sounding across Kyiv,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that he expects to provide Ukraine with 1.155 million rounds of ammunition by the end of this year.
“The defence-industrial complex of the European Union continues to grow and develop. We can state that its capacity has increased by 40 percent,” Borrell said at a briefing with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv.
On his part, Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal said that financial, humanitarian and military aid for his country from the European Union has reached almost 85 billion euros ($91.5bn) since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“We are grateful,” Shmyhal said at a briefing with the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell in Kyiv.
In turn, Borrell noted that if we take into account all the aid provided, it amounted to 88 billion euros ($94.7bn), of which 28 billion euros ($30.2bn) was aid in the form of military support.
“Russia’s aggression is an attack against the existence of Ukraine and its people,” Borrell later posted on X.
He added, “It also a direct threat to European security as a whole Therefore, we need to support you not only “as long as it takes” but should provide “whatever it takes”.”
Ukraine Asks EU To Speed Up Artillery Shell Supplies
Also on Thursday, Ukraine urged the EU to take “urgent steps” to increase deliveries of artillery shells, stocks that Kyiv says are desperately needed to defend itself against Russia.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba told top European diplomat Josep Borrell that he expected the EU to ease regulations and sign long-term contracts with defence companies to boost production.
“If you ask a soldier at the front what he needs most now, the answer will be shells,” Mr Kuleba told Mr Borrell.
“Because the scale of the war and Russia’s use of artillery reached a level for which, let’s be honest, the European defence industry was not ready,” he added.
Kuleba also said thatUkraine found infighting in the US Congress over the future of American aid “confusing”, days after Republican lawmakers resisted new support for the war-torn country.
EU leaders overcame long-running opposition from Hungary to agree an aid package of €50 billion (S$70 billion) for Ukraine last week, but support from Washington is still in doubt due to Republican resistance.
“Last night, I received the latest report from Washington on possible scenarios, and some of the scenarios are reminiscent of a thriller story. Everything is very confusing,” Kuleba said.
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