Macron Says EU Will Send More Arms, Howitzers to Ukraine – French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Thursday evening that the European Union plans to send more military equipment and weapons to Ukraine, including missile systems and howitzers.
Speaking after the inaugural European Political Community Summit, during which the leaders of 44 European countries met to discuss Ukraine and other pressing matters affecting the continent, Macron said that representatives of all 44 nations expressed their “condemnation for this Russian aggression.”
“We will continue to support Ukraine from a financial point of view, from a humanitarian point of view and from a military point of view,” the French president also said.
The European summit was held at Prague Castle, and while no official decisions were made at the event, it was a symbolic moment of unity for all EU member states and surrounding non-member states – many of whom, like Turkey, have strongly advocated a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine War Means More Russia Sanctions
Macron’s comments follow the announcement that the European Union had given its final approval to the eighth round of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The latest package is designed to stop Moscow from receiving billions of euros in revenue from products that “might contribute to the Russian Federation’s military and technological enhancement or to the development of its defense and security sector.”
The sanctions package will extend a ban on the import of Russian steel and steel products to the European Union, as well as the import of paper and wood pulp, appliances, and machinery that are not already covered by European Union sanctions. The latest round of sanctions also block the export of all European Union parts and goods used in aviation, including brakes and tires. The move will place further pressure on the Russian aviation industry, which faces a dire shortage of parts for passenger airline planes over the coming months.
Bans on the export of nerve agents, chemical substances, and all other products that have no practical use other than torture and capital punishment were also implemented.
In a statement, the European Commission – the executive of the European Union – welcomed the adoption of the package in response to “Russia’s continued escalation and illegal war against Ukraine, including by illegally annexing Ukrainian territory based on sham ‘referenda’, mobilising additional troops, and issuing open nuclear threats.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, also welcomed the package in response to Putin’s threats to use weapons of mass destruction.
“We will never accept Putin’s sham referenda nor any kind of annexation in Ukraine. We are determined to continue making the Kremlin pay,” von der Leyen said.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
