"Ukrainian question" 11 of August discussed at the donor conference in Copenhagen, as well as at the big summer press conference in Berlin. Great Britain and Denmark published information on the amount and types of assistance for Ukraine.
The German chancellor limited himself to promises to supply "a large number of weapons", without specific numbers and names of weapons systems. At the conference in Denmark, among representatives of 26 countries, there was also Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands.
Donor Conference in Copenhagen
The event brought together defense ministers to discuss the prospects for long-term support for Ukraine, primarily with money and weapons. Great Britain and Denmark have announced rather large volumes of additional assistance.
The British are going to send missile systems to Ukraine that can hit targets at a distance of up to 80 kilometers. According to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, so Ukraine can better protect itself from the heavy artillery of the Russians.
Denmark will provide Ukraine with additional financial support in the amount of 110 million euros. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the war a fight for the values on which Europe and the free world are built, and said she wanted to boost Danish support for Ukraine with an additional contribution.
Summer press conference in Berlin
At a big summer press conference in Berlin, the tradition of which was founded by Angela Merkel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that he would do everything possible to ensure the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine. He announced new measures to support Ukrainian defense: “We are breaking our tradition and we will provide weapons, very, very many weapons, very effective weapons. And we will do it without stopping.”. However, the chancellor did not name any specific figures and weapons systems.
Scholz also introduced a new package of measures for German residents who are having problems paying their electricity bills: “Citizens can count on us not to let them down”. He noted that Germany is committed to the development of renewable energy sources in order to stop depending on fossil fuels as soon as possible. Germany still cannot do without Russian gas: “It would be useful if there was a gas pipeline to Central Europe from Spain and Portugal”.
Olaf Scholz said that the countries of the European Union should solve current problems together. “As the largest country with the largest economy and the largest population in the center of Europe, I see this as a special challenge for us”.
Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism
In addition to material support, European countries are making very important steps for Ukraine on the diplomatic front. On August 11, the Latvian parliament declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Riga urges other countries to do the same. If a country is deemed a state sponsor of terrorism, civil visas will be revoked and state property may be confiscated. The Latvian parliament calls the war "targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people."
In response to the call to follow the example of Latvia, the European Union "does not find legal grounds." However, in Australia and the United States, such a possibility is now being considered.
Publication Date: 18.08.2022
