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In response to Russia's decision, EU should increase military support to Ukraine - Borrell

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

20 July 2023 13:27 (UTC +04:00)

“As an answer to Russia’s decision about ships in the Black Sea, EU should increase the military support to Ukraine,” said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy today in a press conference in Brussels before the start of the Council of Ministers of the EU on Foreign Affairs, APA reports.

Borrell stated that, if the grain was stored before the Grain Deal, now Russia is destroying it.

“It has two consequences: first, for Ukraine itself – depriving them of the resources – and secondly, for the rest of the world, who is being deprived of a critical raw material.

The Ministers will have to discuss how to proceed, but there is only one solution: to increase the military support to Ukraine. If they are being bombed, we have to provide anti-aerial capacities. If the Russians are using drones, we have to provide Ukrainians with anti-aerial capacities to destroy these drones. But the massive attacks of these last three nights require an answer from our side, the answer can only be one, apart from rhetoric – providing more military resources. That is why I am going to present a proposal to increase – I do not want to say the figure right now, [I will do so] after the meeting – in quite an important way, the capacity of the European Peace Facility,” he stated.

Note that After Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Deal, it announced that ships in the Black Sea would be military targets for Russian forces, regardless of their cargo.