(Brussels) The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell deplored Tuesday that Ukraine’s Western allies are unable to provide it with the anti-aircraft defense systems that it urgently needs.
Kyiv recently requested from its allies the sending of seven Patriot air defense systems, to help it counter Russian bombings against its cities and infrastructure, he stressed.
“It would be inconceivable that we would not be able to provide them, knowing that the Western armies have around 100 Patriot missile batteries, and yet we are incapable of providing them with the seven that they desperately request,” he said. declared in a speech to the Forum Nueva Economia.
“The situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult, the Russian military machine is running at full speed,” he added.
“We should do more and faster to help them have the capabilities they need,” he insisted, calling on European countries to quickly increase their defense capabilities.
Some 80% of arms purchases are made outside the European Union, and 80% of purchases made outside the EU are made from the United States, he recalled, insisting on putting an end to this “dependence “.
He also insisted on the need for Europe to develop its autonomy in matters of defense and security, including within NATO. “European citizens must understand that the American umbrella which protected us during the war and after may not be open all the time, depending perhaps on who governs in Washington,” he warned. .
However, he insisted, “the possibility of a high-intensity conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy and we must do absolutely everything to avoid it”.