Five EU leaders demand increase in Ukraine aid

Europe needs a collective effort to arm Ukraine for the long term, five major EU leaders said.

That’s according to Politico, Ukrinform reports.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and four prime ministers — Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, the Czech Republic's Petr Fiala, Estonia's Kaja Kallas and the Netherlands' Mark Rutte — penned the relevant open letter, as per the Financial Times.

Acknowledging that the EU will have "fallen short" of its goal to send 1 million shells to Ukraine before March, the leaders said that "our efforts must not wither," as Kyiv's troops continue to repel Russia’s full-scale onslaught.

"The EU and its member states must renew their efforts and step up their military support," the leaders stressed, adding that "it must continue to be a collective effort.

"We call on friends and partners of Ukraine to recommit to sustainable long-term military support for Ukraine as a joint European responsibility," they wrote. "Only then will Ukraine be able to succeed in its defence against Russian aggression."

The letter comes amid mounting calls from European leaders to ramp up military aid to Ukraine, as support from the U.S. has ground to a halt due to partisan deadlock in Congress, where GOP legislators are dragging with approving continued funding for Ukraine.