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Written by Sarah Marsh, John Irish, Alan Charish
BERLIN/PARIS/WARSAW (Reuters) – Ukraine supporters plan to use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to fund arms purchases for Kiev’s German chancellor Olaf Scholz The statement came after talks with their French and Polish counterparts aimed at showing solidarity after weeks of friction.
At a joint press conference in Berlin, French President Scholz said: Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Poland donald tusk He reaffirmed his support for Ukraine. Ukraine’s military is short on ammunition and facing its toughest fighting since the early days of Russia’s invasion two years ago.
European aid has become increasingly important as US President Joe Biden has failed to get a major aid package for Ukraine through Congress and has focused much of his foreign policy energy on the war in Gaza.
Scholz said the leaders agreed on the need to procure more weapons for Ukraine on the world market and expand production of military equipment, including through cooperation with Ukrainian partners.
Scholz cited the European Union’s efforts to increase aid to Ukraine, saying it would “use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets in Europe to finance arms purchases for Ukraine. ” he said.
Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the EU to consider using these profits for “joint purchases of military equipment for Ukraine.”
The European Commission is expected to make concrete proposals within the next few days.
Diplomats in Brussels say some EU countries, such as Hungary, are reluctant to accept the idea. But Scholz’s comments suggest he is confident that EU countries will ultimately approve the proposal.
Scholz said the leaders also agreed on the need for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a U.S.-led group of about 50 countries that provides military assistance to Ukraine, to establish a coalition to provide long-range artillery to Kyiv. He said he did.
The proposal to establish a long-range missile coalition had already been agreed in Paris on February 26. It is unclear whether Scholz’s comments refer to this and how Germany, which opposes sending Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, will respond. participate.
Defense ministers in the contact group are scheduled to meet early next week at the US Air Force Base Ramstein in Germany.
President Macron reiterated his warning that not only Ukraine’s security but also that of Europe was at stake.
“We will do everything necessary, for as long as it takes, to ensure that Russia does not win this war,” President Macron said. “This resolve is steadfast and signals our unity.”
He added that the three leaders agreed on the need to step up support for Moldova, which Russia claims is trying to destabilize Moldova through a “hybrid war.”
He said the three leaders had agreed to never escalate with Russia, which he said could downplay talk of sending Western ground forces to Ukraine, which has irritated Germany.
Friction between Scholz and Macron
The so-called Weimar Triangle meeting of Germany, France and Poland was held after weeks of tensions, particularly between Mr. Scholz and Mr. Macron, and alarmed officials in Kiev and across the continent.
The hastily arranged summit in Paris last month was aimed at giving fresh impetus to stalled Western efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s full-scale invasion, which is now in its third year.
Rather, Mr. Macron’s failure to rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine was the trigger for Mr. Scholz’s resignation.
Mykhailo Podlyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told Reuters that “indecision and uncoordinated behavior” among Kiev’s allies was leading to “serious consequences.”
“Russia is starting to get cocky and believe that it can quantitatively squeeze Ukraine,” he said. “On the other hand, Ukraine is facing a severe shortage of certain resources, mainly artillery shells, and is partially losing her initiative.”
Tusk said Friday’s meeting showed that “some of the malicious rumors about the differences between European capitals have been greatly exaggerated.”
Mr Tusk aims to revitalize the Weimar Triangle after eight years of nationalist rule in Warsaw, but Mr Macron and Mr Scholz have said they will meet again in early summer to announce their next joint plan. He said he accepted the invitation.
(Reporting by John Irish and Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Andrew Gray in Brussels, Sarah Marsh, Thomas Escritt and Andreas Linke in Berlin; Pavel Polituk in Kiev, Alan Charisch and Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw) (edited by Jonathan Oatis and Alex Richardson)
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