Our countries are already the largest per capita providers of military support to Ukraine. We will increase our efforts, both through investments in Ukraine's defense industry and to increase Ukraine's access to ammunition, says Ulf Kristersson at a joint press conference at Harpsund.
If Ukraine loses, we all lose, says Donald Tusk, whose Poland will take over the EU presidency after New Year's.
This is happening simultaneously as the USA's incoming president Donald Trump takes over the reins on the other side of the Atlantic.
Trump is critical of his predecessor Joe Biden's billion-dollar support to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression in 2022. He has promised to bring a quick end to the war as president, without providing any details on how it will be done.
Fear for the USA
Among the European NATO countries, there is great concern that the USA under Trump will cut off its support to Ukraine, which Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyj believes would lead to Ukraine losing the war.
Do Poland and the EU have the capacity to provide sufficient support if the USA were to withdraw its support?
We should not have any illusions about the future prospects in the coming weeks and months. This means that we in this group, Europe and NATO, must be prepared to replace parts of the support if the American decision becomes what it appears to be today, says Donald Tusk.
We are not just talking about Ukraine, we are not just talking about Russia – we are talking about our security, he continues.
"Our security"
Even Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasizes the importance of more European support.
If we want a free Europe, we must give Ukraine what it needs on the battlefield. And we must do it without any self-imposed red lines and restrictions, she says.
Ulf Kristersson also notes that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security.
We are all here in agreement that we must prioritize defense spending and allocate more money than NATO's two-percent goal.
