EU Urges More Military Aid for Ukraine \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ European Union leaders pledged increased military support for Ukraine but stalled on new Russia sanctions. They reaffirmed backing for Ukraine’s EU accession while Hungary blocked full consensus. Leaders also criticized Israel’s Gaza actions but remained divided on formal response.
Quick Looks
- EU leaders demand more air defense, large-caliber ammo for Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s defense industry seen as a key partner for supply.
- Hungary blocked full support for Ukraine’s EU membership bid.
- Progress stalled on EU’s next round of Russia sanctions.
- EU also criticized humanitarian crisis and blockade in Gaza.
Deep Look
As the Russia-Ukraine war drags into its fourth year with no diplomatic resolution in sight, European Union leaders met in Brussels on Thursday to confront a growing sense of urgency. They emerged with a renewed pledge to ramp up military aid to Ukraine, reaffirm their support for its EU membership bid, and confront the geopolitical consequences of war spreading across Europe and the Middle East. Yet the summit also laid bare sharp internal divisions—especially around new sanctions on Russia and how to respond to Israel’s escalating military campaign in Gaza.
In their joint statement, 26 of the 27 EU member states emphasized the immediate need to deliver more sophisticated military equipment to Ukraine, including air defense and anti-drone systems, as well as large-caliber ammunition. The declaration comes at a time when Russia is intensifying daily attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line. Though Russian troops have made small territorial gains, they have paid a steep price in terms of casualties and hardware losses, while Ukraine—despite being outnumbered—has held its ground using an arsenal of tactical drones and defensive ingenuity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing the summit via videolink, urged EU leaders to speed up deliveries of military aid and expand cooperation with Ukraine’s domestic defense industry. EU leaders responded by highlighting Kyiv’s capacity to manufacture arms faster and more affordably than some of its European counterparts. This collaboration, they argued, could serve a dual purpose: reinforcing Ukraine’s frontlines while invigorating Europe’s broader defense strategy.
However, unity faltered on other key fronts. Talks over the EU’s next sanctions package against Russia stalled, particularly over efforts to clamp down on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. These ships circumvent global sanctions, generating billions in revenue for Russia’s war machine. While many member states back tougher financial measures to throttle Russia’s income, Hungary—led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—once again acted as the primary holdout.
Orbán, long seen as Moscow’s most reliable ally within the EU, also rejected parts of the summit’s Ukraine-related language. At a NATO summit a day earlier, he restated his view that “NATO has no business in Ukraine,” arguing that neither Ukraine nor Russia are members of the alliance. His statement reflects not only Hungary’s divergent foreign policy but also the growing strain within the EU over how to handle a prolonged and increasingly globalized conflict.
Despite Orbán’s opposition, the summit reinforced the bloc’s “steadfast support” for Ukraine’s eventual integration into the European Union. This endorsement is especially significant given that, just one day prior, NATO leaders—including key U.S. allies—chose not to reference Ukraine’s bid to join the military alliance. The omission was widely interpreted as a concession to Washington’s hesitation about drawing NATO further into the conflict.
Beyond Ukraine, the Brussels meeting also grappled with another conflict straining the EU’s diplomatic posture: the war in Gaza. In a rare unified statement, EU leaders condemned the worsening humanitarian crisis, including high civilian casualties and mass starvation. They explicitly called on Israel to fully lift its blockade of Gaza—a notable departure from earlier, more cautious language that typically emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense.
Their statement followed the release of a report, debated earlier in the week by EU foreign ministers, suggesting that Israel’s actions in Gaza may violate human rights obligations outlined in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This pact governs trade and political cooperation between the two parties and includes commitments to uphold democratic values and human rights.
Yet, despite the report’s findings, the summit produced no decisive action. Suspending or amending the agreement would require unanimous consent—an unlikely outcome given staunch pro-Israel positions held by several member states, including Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Still, the issue remains on the EU agenda, with a follow-up meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for July 15.
Critics, particularly from within the European Parliament, have grown increasingly vocal. Bas Eickhout, head of the Greens group, warned that the EU risks losing moral credibility by failing to act decisively in Gaza while professing to champion human rights in Ukraine. “You can’t be consistent on one side of Europe’s borders and silent on the other,” he said.
The contradictions are becoming harder to ignore. On one hand, the EU is offering Ukraine a political and logistical lifeline, while facing a sluggish decision-making process on punishing Russia more severely. On the other, it is openly criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza but lacks the political will to impose consequences.
These internal tensions expose a deeper challenge: the EU’s ambition to be a global geopolitical player remains constrained by national interests and political calculations. As conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East intensify, the bloc is forced to navigate a complex matrix of alliances, economic dependencies, and divergent national priorities.
Still, Thursday’s summit reaffirmed the EU’s broader commitment to Ukraine and its defense. It sent a message of resolve to Moscow and a measure of reassurance to Kyiv. But without decisive progress on sanctions and clear action on Gaza, Europe’s capacity to lead as a cohesive force on the global stage remains an open question.
EU Urges More EU Urges More
You must Register or Login to post a comment.