DIn the fight against the Russian invasion, Ukraine is demanding a tenfold increase in western military aid and tougher sanctions. “We are grateful to our allies for their military assistance. But that’s not enough.” Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Ukraine needs ten times more to end Russian aggression this year.” So far, all allies together have provided $55 billion (50 billion euros). But it takes ten times that, emphasized the diplomat, who had been ambassador to Germany for a long time.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions and enforcement of the existing sanctions against Russia. “The tougher the sanctions against Russia and against the entire Russian war economy, the faster the war will end,” he said in his daily video message. On the other hand, Russia repeatedly claims that the sanctions are ineffective and will neither end the war nor destroy the economy of the resource superpower.
“Allies should understand the magnitude of this war”
Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk said that the partners in the West should finally stop drawing artificial red lines for their support. Rather, they should spend one percent of their gross domestic product on arms deliveries to Ukraine, he demanded. In the case of Germany alone, that would be more than 35 billion euros. The Ukrainian diplomat said the amounts are small compared to World War II. “The allies should understand the scale of this war,” said Melnyk, who also appeared on a Ukrainian TV talk show on the subject. In addition to military aid, Western countries are paying billions with which Ukraine maintains its national budget.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for around 14 months. Western countries are supplying it with the weapons and ammunition it needs. Last year, Ukraine also managed to recapture larger areas. The armed forces are now preparing for a new offensive to liberate even more occupied territories. Russia is also ramping up its wartime economy. The nuclear power is preparing for a long war against Ukraine.
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