The European Union must quickly strengthen its military defenses, as Russia could be ready for a confrontation within six to eight years. That was the warning issued by the new EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, former prime minister of Lithuania, Russia's neighbor.
Kubilius was appointed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to boost cooperation in the arms industry. He wants EU countries to spend more money on the production and joint procurement of European weapons. He also wants companies to cooperate more with each other across borders.
If it were up to the European Parliament, Ukraine would be allowed to go a step further in attacking targets in Russia. Western weapons should now also be able to be used to hit military targets in Russia. After all, the country must have the ability to fully defend itself. The Parliament is also tightening the measures against Moscow.
In a resolution adopted, MEPs want member states to lift their current restrictions on Ukraine. These ensure that Western weapons cannot be used against legitimate military targets in Russia. If these rules are removed, Ukraine will be able to defend itself more effectively, so the reasoning goes. The text was approved with 425 votes in favour, 131 votes against and 63 abstentions.
Currently, Ukraine cannot defend itself well and remains the target of Russian attacks on its citizens and infrastructure. Taking the restrictions off the table should bring about more change in this, according to the Parliament. Furthermore, EU countries themselves must increase their direct aid to Ukrainians, which has been declining considerably for some time.
MEPs reiterate their call on member states to honour their March 2023 pledge to deliver one million bullets and other ammunition to Ukraine. They also call for the delivery of weapons, air defence systems and ammunition, including TAURUS missiles, to be accelerated. They continue to call for all EU countries and NATO allies to commit to annual military support to Ukraine.
Then there are the sanctions, which were imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have since been tightened. MEPs condemn the recent transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia. They therefore call for tougher sanctions against both Tehran and North Korea, for their involvement in supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Furthermore, more Chinese individuals, companies and entities should be added to the EU sanctions list. And stricter measures should be taken to tackle the problem of sanctions evasion by companies based in the EU. Russian state assets, which were frozen after the 2022 raid, should be seized by Parliament. This could be used to compensate Ukraine.
MEP Reinier van Lanschot (Volt) is in favour of the chosen course. 'The Ukrainians are simply asking us to untie their hands and allow them to attack the military targets that Russia uses to terrorise Ukrainian citizens. In this war, one country is trying to conquer the other. So you don't create lasting peace by forcing the defender to surrender. You create it by stopping the aggressor,' says the Dutchman, who was in Kiev himself to do research.
Dutch CDA MEP Ingeborg ter Laak says: 'Europe contributes financially and sends weapons. However, this does not seem to deter Russia sufficiently. We must therefore jointly lift the ban on the use of weapons on Russian territory. Only if we are united can Ukraine effectively defend itself and we can show Russia that it has no business being there. Only then will peace be created.'