EU at OSCE: Europe to speed up military aid to Ukraine as moment seen as “critical”

The European Union and its member states will accelerate and intensify the supply of all required military assistance to Ukraine “at this critical moment”.

That’s according to a statement the European Union’s delegation made at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The EU is determined to continue providing Ukraine and its people with all the necessary political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed. At this critical moment, the EU and Member States will speed up and intensify the delivery of all necessary military assistance," the statement reads.

The European Union reaffirmed " unwavering support for Ukraine’s rightful and brave self-defence against the brutal aggressor, Russia, as well as Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders."

It was also stressed that "the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace is for the aggressor, Russia, to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.".

As Ukrinform reported earlier, EU High Representative Josep Borrell previously stated that the European Union cannot rely only on the United States in decisions on urgent military aid to Ukraine, in particular air defense capabilities. The EU must take responsibility and supply these systems to Ukraine from its own stocks, the EU top diplomat underlined.