‘We are in unprecedented times, we are living in a historic moment’

Following the online informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell presented what he described as a historic decision. The decision of the EU to send lethal weapons to a third country for the first time using European Funds.

A taboo has fallen

“We are in unprecedented times, we are living in a historic moment,” said Borrell. “I know that the word ‘historic’ is often overused and abused but this is certainly a historic moment. Another taboo has fallen in these days, that the European Union cannot use its resources to provide arms to a country who is being aggressed by an other.”

The EU will provide “lethal arms” to a value of €450 million and €50 million for non-lethal supplies such as fuel and protective equipment. The funds will come from the European Peace Facility and inter-governmental funds of the EU’s budget, probably using the  European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) also. 

Asked about how the EU will deliver material with Russia’s air superiority over Ukraine, Borrell said that the EU would supply arms including fighter jets. However, it is limited to the planes that the Ukraine air force can use immediately which is limited to certain models available in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Poland.

Borrell pointed out in his answer that several member states were already sending weapons that were already on their way, he thanked German Chancellor Scholz for his seismic decision to increase his spending on defence: “Germany like many member states has now understood, if you want to avoid war, you have to be prepared to defend the peace.”

Borrell said that this was also the occasion to think about what the European Union is, and what we want the European Union to be. He said that the challenges that we are going to face as Europeans will increase and that we have to be prepared for that and for future generations. 

“After World War Two we wanted peace and prosperity and we got this in the European Union. We want to continue fighting for peace and prosperity for us and for humankind. But we have to be prepared to defend the peace.”

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