‘Our own homework’
Some European leaders seized on the U.S. vote to call on Europe not to get complacent and lose momentum now that Washington’s new support is expected to be on the way to Kyiv soon.
“Hope this vote encourages all allies to look through their warehouses and do more,” Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on X.
“Now is also the time to remember that the EU now have to increase our own production of armaments, ammunition and supplies to aid Ukraine on a long-term basis,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said. “Tonight’s vote shows the necessity of this. We have to do our own homework as well,” he added.
His Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavský, echoed the sentiment, saying: “Europe must do more, too. Our hesitation and indecision in effectively supporting Ukraine just motivate the Kremlin to further aggression that costs more lives.”
A crucial test for Europe will come on Monday, when the EU’s 27 foreign ministers gather in Luxembourg to plan future military aid for Kyiv. Ukraine’s foreign and defense ministers are scheduled to join the discussion virtually.
Before the weekend, European allies in NATO pledged to step up delivery of readily available air-defense systems to Ukraine, according to Stoltenberg.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the key official behind the latest push for additional air-defense systems for Kyiv, hailed the U.S. legislative move.
“This is a day of optimism for Ukraine [and] European security,” Baerbock said on X.
