UPDATE: EU defence ministers discuss Russia's war, support for Ukraine

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has joined his counterparts from other European Union countries for a two-day meeting in Stockholm to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and further Western support for Kyiv.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak

Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, was chairing the meeting in the Swedish capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Polish defence ministry.

Deputy Prime Minister @mblaszczak 🇵🇱 is taking part in an informal meeting of 🇪🇺countries' defense ministers, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The topic of the talks is the Russian aggression on 🇺🇦 and support for Kyiv. https://t.co/CzNiqvoPuc

— Poland MOD 🇵🇱 (@Poland_MOD) March 8, 2023

It said in a tweet that the gathering was focusing on the EU's support for Ukraine and Europe's "resilience to threats against security."

Deputy Prime Minister @mblaszczak: Today, in Stockholm, there will be an EU defense ministers' meeting dedicated to the safety of Europe. We will talk about supporting Ukraine, but also about our European resilience to threats against security. https://t.co/qbj7JSUxpA

— Poland MOD 🇵🇱 (@Poland_MOD) March 7, 2023

Other topics up for discussion included "the involvement of member states in the work of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine)" and an Estonian initiative for the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine by EU members, according to the Polish defence ministry.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov also arrived in Stockholm to attend the gathering, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Poland's Błaszczak on Tuesday held bilateral talks with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

Trwa bilateralne spotkanie wicepremiera @mblaszczak z ministrem B.Pistoriusem. Tematem rozmów mała dostępność części zamiennych do czołgów #Leopard.
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Wicepremier @mblaszczak: Liczę na to, że wspólnie pokonamy ten impas. Oczekuję od ministra Pistoriusa, że wpłynie na przemysł🇩🇪. pic.twitter.com/OuxbGrqYOl

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) March 7, 2023

Błaszczak told reporters on Tuesday that Poland would deliver 10 more Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine before the end of the week, to help Kyiv fight Russia's invasion, and would also set up a maintenance hub for Leopard tanks.  

Wednesday is day 378 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP