Europe's security begins with Ukraine - Poroshenko in Visby
During his speech at the international security conference in Visby, Sweden, Petro Poroshenko called on European allies to accelerate the build-up of military capabilities and stop Putin in Ukraine. He stated that the brazen appearance of Russian drones in the airspace of EU and NATO member states is changing Europeans' attitudes towards the war in Ukraine, according to a report on the European Solidarity website on Sunday.
"Russia has become more aggressive, Russia is using new technologies. If it started as what everyone in Europe called “the conflict in Ukraine”, then it was “the war in Ukraine”, then “Russian aggression against Ukraine”, and now it is “Russian aggression against Europe”. Europe no longer has any illusions. And when Russian drones appeared in the airspace of the Baltic states and Poland, it helped open the eyes of all European nations," Poroshenko believes.
"Time is on Putin's side, not Ukraine's or Europe's. Why does Putin think he can win? Because he is waiting for Ukraine to run out of soldiers. Why do we, Ukraine, together with our European partners, think we will win? Because we are confident that Russia will run out of money. What do I expect from Europe? Europe needs to wake up," Poroshenko says.
"We have two sets of guarantees that we need. Security guarantees are weapons, the defence industry, joint production with Ukraine using Ukrainian experience and Ukrainian technologies. We cannot afford to lose the battle for technology to either Russia or China. We must be leaders. We can outsmart Russia without being able to outnumber it," says the fifth president.
‘And we must certainly be much more decisive about sanctions. It is in the Baltic Sea that we must stop Russia's “shadow fleet”. We can stop all Russian exports worldwide, and our goal is to stop Putin's ability to finance the war,’ Poroshenko notes.
"Three urgent lessons for Europe. Preparation must be real, not just on paper. Second: economic stability is security. Europe's economy must be put on a military footing. Social stability and political stability are crucial. Particular attention should be paid to Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In the event of an escalation in Central and Eastern Europe, you will be the first destination for refugee flows. In the maritime sphere, Europe must also anticipate Russia's attempts to destabilise the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Here, Ukrainian technology, maritime drones, and we are ready to share with all our partners," says Poroshenko.
"We must produce drones. We must create the capacity to immediately produce the most advanced drones and produce them now for Ukraine. And in the future, produce them for the combined European armed forces. What else do we need to do? Long-range missiles. Russia should have no illusions that if it violates the line with so-called ‘drone walls,’ it will immediately receive a response with long-range missiles that will destroy Russia's energy and oil refining infrastructure and everything without which Russia cannot survive," Petro Poroshenko believes.
‘I am absolutely confident that Europe, together with Ukraine, is capable of defending itself, regardless of who is in Washington and who is in Moscow. We are capable of defending ourselves. And one more recommendation. Regarding the so-called ’reconstruction loan,‘ or ’recovery loan,‘ or ’reparation loan." If this continues, we will have nothing to repair or rebuild. It should be a loan for the defence of Europe. And we must not waste time on the use of frozen Russian assets. We must do this immediately, tomorrow," Poroshenko notes.
"But the Kremlin's most dangerous blow today is not military. The most dangerous is political. The goal is to divide Europe, weaken the EU, weaken NATO and bring populists and isolationists to power. Divide us, and we will lose. This is where European and transatlantic unity is vital. We do not have the luxury of time. Less words and summits, more action. Putin must be stopped in Ukraine," the fifth president concluded.
