European Commission does not comment on Trump's decision to stop aid to Ukraine, but assures of EU's unwavering support
The European Commission does not comment on the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to stop support for Ukraine, while at the same time assuring continued support from the European Union.
European Commission spokesman Stefan Keersmaecker said at a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday that he did not think they had the right to comment on decisions or announcements made on the other side of the Atlantic. He added that, in his opinion, what remained extremely important was the unwavering support of the European Union for their friends in Ukraine.
When asked whether the EU was ready to fill the gap that the Americans could leave, the spokesman drew attention to the letter that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had sent to EU leaders with a plan ReArm Europe, calling for increased defense spending. He stated that this was very important and explained that the President had outlined her ideas, which would be incorporated into the discussions that would take place with the leaders on March 6. He added that they would then see how things would develop further.
Asked whether High Representative Kaja Kallas planned to continue with the plan to increase military support for Ukraine, her spokesman Anouar El Anouni said that the High Representative had put forward a new defense initiative to support Ukraine with more ammunition in the short term. He added that he could say this initiative had received broad political support at the last Foreign Affairs Council meeting and that the issue remained under active discussion ahead of the European Council meeting.
Asked whether the EU could replace Starlinks, in particular, another spokesman, Thomas Regnier, recalled that the EU was working very hard on Iris Squared. According to him, Iris Squared will only be fully operational by 2030, so in the meantime, they are working on an alternative solution, the so-called GovSatCom, which is essentially a pooling and sharing of existing satellite capabilities in member states. Ukraine has expressed its interest in GovSatCom, and we are currently considering it, he said.