‘This Is A Watershed Moment,’ Says Von Der Leyen As EU Pledges To Finance Weapons For Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that for the first time ever, the European Union will be financing the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment.
This comes as the country of Ukraine remains under attack for the fifth day in a row since Vladimir Putin ordered Russian armed forces to invade the country.
“For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack. This is a watershed moment,” President von der Leyen said in a statement.
“As the war in Ukraine rages on, and Ukrainians fight bravely for their country, the European Union steps up once more its support for Ukraine and the sanctions against the aggressor – Putin’s Russia,” she said.
“At the same time, we are strengthening once more our sanctions against the Kremlin and its collaborator, Lukashenko’s regime. First, we are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians,” she said, as the EU closed its airspace for Russian aircrafts.
“We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU,” she explained.
“Second, in another unprecedented step, we will ban in the EU the Kremlin’s media machine. The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our Union,” she said.
She also announced strict measures when it comes to the importation of products in the most important sectors.
“We will introduce restrictive measures against their most important sectors. This will stop their exports of products from mineral fuels to tobacco, wood and timber, cement, iron and steel,” she said.
She also extended her respects towards Ukrainian President Zelensky, and pledged to welcome Ukrainians with open arms all over Europe.
“President Zelensky’s leadership and his bravery and the resilience of the Ukrainian people are outstanding and impressive. They are an inspiration to us all,” she said.
What do you make of von der Leyen’s statement?
READ NEXT: PN Għasri Mayor Resigns Just A Day After Publicly Meeting With Robert Abela
