Europe must “grow up“ and boost its support for Ukraine after US President Donald Trump's recent statements in support of the recovery of all Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, News.bg reports.
“Europeans have repeatedly said that we must become more independent and sovereign. This means assessing what we can achieve on our own. "Many countries have not fulfilled their promises to Ukraine - we need to consider what additional financial and military capabilities we can provide," Vaddeful stressed.
His words come after Trump made a sharp turn in his rhetoric - from previous calls for Ukraine to cede territory to end the war, to insisting on returning to the borders "from the beginning of the conflict". However, it is not yet clear whether this will translate into a real change in US policy, which leaves pressure on Europe to take the lead in supporting Kiev.
Western diplomats quoted by Reuters have warned that Trump could signal a gradual withdrawal of the US commitment to Ukraine, shifting responsibility to Europe. “The cards are already on the table - we know what to do“, commented a Western European representative.
At the same time, the EU is discussing the use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, and European countries are increasing defense spending and are already providing air defense systems through a new weapons delivery mechanism.
Trump's statements also caused shares of defense companies to rise - the index of European arms manufacturers rose by 0.8% and reached near-record levels, ahead of the general STOXX 600 index, which recorded a decline.