Media: EU focuses on defence sector growth, fails to deliver urgent aid for Ukraine

At an emergency summit in Brussels, European Union leaders pledged to strengthen their defence sector but offered limited support for Ukraine’s immediate needs, leaving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with little concrete assistance.

Despite the gravity of the situation in Ukraine, the summit's final conclusions focused mainly on the EU's long-term defence plans, not on bolstering Ukraine's position in the short term, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Ukrainian officials had hoped the summit would deliver new commitments to support Kyiv, especially in light of a cutoff in US military aid and intelligence-sharing. Before the summit, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed the urgency of support, saying, “We have to support Ukraine now more than ever.” However, after 10 hours of discussions, the leaders only agreed to continue ramping up defence efforts within the EU and did not make specific commitments to strengthen Ukraine’s defence.

Hungary’s opposition, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, blocked any major advances in supporting Ukraine. Despite this, 26 EU countries signed off on a statement backing Ukraine’s future EU membership and pledging continued military aid without specific targets.

Zelenskyy, dressed in his signature wartime garb, used his speech to urge Europe to speed up military support, stressing the need for new sanctions against Russia and a pathway for Ukraine to join the EU by 2030. “Achieving ‘peace through strength’ requires Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position,” he stated.

While Zelenskyy did receive some commitments, notably from Norway, which pledged to double its direct military aid to Ukraine for 2025, the EU failed to offer the immediate, substantial assistance Ukraine desperately needs.

The EU also struggled with the absence of US military aid and intelligence. “The end of intelligence sharing is very significant indeed for Ukraine,” said Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British intelligence officer. As European leaders focused on defence matters, support for Ukraine took a back seat, with discussions lasting only 15 minutes.

By Vafa Guliyeva