On December 18, the European Union (EU) announced plans to hold a summit to agree on continued financial support for Ukraine, in the context of a downward trend in foreign military aid to Kiev.
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| Ukraine is facing a shortage of artillery shells as well as a decrease in military aid. (Source: AP) |
On December 18, after meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, President of the European Council Charles Michel said that European heads of state and government will try again on February 1, 2024 to agree on continued financial support for Ukraine, reiterating that 26 out of 27 member states share the same view.
“This is the starting point of this summit, to try to convince the 27th member state and reach a consensus agreement so that we can respect our obligations towards Ukraine,” he said.
At the EU Summit held on November 14-15 in Brussels (Belgium), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban alone opposed the European Commission's proposal to provide Kiev with up to 17 billion Euros in subsidies and 33 billion Euros in loans to maintain Ukraine's state apparatus.
The proposal is part of a broader review of Europe's long-term budget and must be agreed by all 27 EU members.
Last week, some heads of government hinted at the possibility of removing Hungary’s veto and leaving it to the 26 member states to find a solution for Ukraine, but Mr Michel and Mr De Croo both stressed that the remaining goal was to reach an agreement with all 27 member states.
Regarding the situation on the ground of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, on December 18, when asked whether he considered the situation to be in a stalemate, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - General Valery Zaluzhniy - replied: "No".
However, he refused to comment on the possibility of Kiev continuing its counter-offensive campaign in the winter, citing the sensitivity of the issue.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said that Ukraine's frontline forces are facing a "huge problem" with a shortage of artillery shells, and Kiev has also had to reduce some military activities due to the trend of reducing foreign military aid.
“There are problems with ammunition, especially post-Soviet ammunition – 122 mm, 152 mm. These problems exist on the entire front line,” Tarnavskyi said in an interview with Reuters .
Also on December 18, MP Inna Sovsun of the Voice of Ukraine party said that the country may need to mobilize women to join the army.
UNIAN news agency quoted MP Sovsun as saying: "There will be unpopular decisions. I do not deny that we can go to the extent of mobilizing women to join the army...".
Ms. Sovsun also noted that it is necessary to determine the target group of women to be mobilized and other related issues.
Earlier, Servant of the People party MP Maryana Bezuglaya announced the preparation of a bill on gender equality in matters of registration and military service, which would help mobilize women to work in the rear, not just in medical matters.
In addition, according to Ms. Bezuglaya, lawmakers plan to introduce mandatory basic combined arms training for men and women from the age of 18 - including basic knowledge of tactics and medicine, as well as skills in handling weapons and operating drones.
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