Berbok: EU to increase military support to Ukraine to 1 billion euros

LAST UPDATE: 17:38

The European Union (EU) will increase financial aid and arms supplies to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia, German Finance Minister Analena Berbock said on Monday ahead of an EU special foreign affairs council in Brussels.

“We will increase the financial means for the purchase of military equipment to 1 billion euros, in order to make it clear that we are fully in solidarity with Ukraine, that we seek to protect the civilian population in Ukraine,” Berbok told reporters. with CNN.

Germany will also ensure that arms sales from German manufacturers take place as soon as possible. “Ukraine needs more weapons,” the German finance minister said, without elaborating on security concerns.

“It’s a matter of life and death, we are in the middle of a war and therefore we need to be very careful about what weapons are delivered and where,” Berbock added.

“We see that the Russian government continues to escalate its rhetoric regarding nuclear weapons and NATO territory,” he added.

Burbock also said that the Alliance must prevent the war from spreading to other countries. “We have a responsibility to the Ukrainians, but we also have a responsibility to the 450 million Europeans and members of NATO,” he said.

“We are working to close the gaps in sanctions,” she said, adding that “those who benefit from this war must be punished, as must their families.”

Burbok, meanwhile, announced that Berlin would host a donors’ meeting for Ukrainian refugees stranded in Moldova on April 5.

The summit is about “supporting Moldova, which is the most vulnerable country in this situation,” Burbok told reporters in Brussels.

According to the German Foreign Ministry, the total number of Ukrainian refugees is expected to reach 8-10 million in the coming weeks.