The decision to deliver more sophisticated tanks to Ukraine for its fight against the Russian invaders was made in response to the continued escalation by Russia, and not vice versa, Lead Spokesperson of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs Peter Stano has said.

He said this in response to a question suggesting that the decision to supply Ukraine with tanks is actually escalating the situation and "people are worrying about a world war and use of atomic weapons" voiced during a press briefing in Brussels on Monday.

"First of all, the decision about delivering tanks to Ukraine was motivated by the determination of the EU to help Ukraine to defend itself in light of the increased escalation by Russia. This is a response to the continued escalation by Russia which for almost one year continued its illegal and unjustified attack and invasion against Ukraine, and continues to kill civilians, destroy civilian infrastructure, and use hunger as a weapon. They are weaponizing energy. They are weaponizing hunger. They are weaponizing everything they can in order to break Ukraine and its existence as a country and as a nation. […] The European Union needs to help Ukraine to defend itself," Stano said.

The spokesperson for the European Commission emphasized that Ukraine "is defending its territory and its people in front of aggression whose ultimate objective is to destroy the country and to destroy the nation as stated by Mr. Putin."

"This [the decision to deliver tanks] is not an escalation. This is a response to escalated onslaught and bloodshed by the Russian side against civilian targets and civilians in Ukraine," Stano said.

Regarding ex-U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that he could settle the situation in Ukraine within 24 hours, Stano said, "There is no reason for us to comment. The EU has been engaged in peace efforts since the very start of the build-up, not since the start of the conflict, since the military build-up which precedes the invasion itself by almost one year. The EU was always extending offers to the Russian side to discuss the existing perceived or real Russian concerns regarding the new security arrangements. And it was not the EU who rejected the offer to talk. We are always ready to support any meaningful peace efforts and in this regard we are coordinating very closely with our partners, including with the U.S. but also other partners within the international community. The overall aim and the ultimate aim, very urgent aim is to make sure that peace returns to Ukraine as soon as possible. Unfortunately, all the peace efforts until now basically crashed on the wall of ignorance of the Kremlin."