Original text
Thank you. It's always a privilege and an obligation to be here and to stress what we have been saying all along, especially after the aggression in 2022: that Ukraine's fight for freedom, for its territorial integrity, for peace, is actually the only way we also support our own security. And in doing this, we have pledged our support. It was not only in Ankara, but I think this one was a very clear signal. Allies, a...
Thank you. It's always a privilege and an obligation to be here and to stress what we have been saying all along, especially after the aggression in 2022: that Ukraine's fight for freedom, for its territorial integrity, for peace, is actually the only way we also support our own security. And in doing this, we have pledged our support. It was not only in Ankara, but I think this one was a very clear signal. Allies, all in the Alliance, have pledged to invest and support Ukraine with 70 billion euros for this year, and we have pledged for at least the same amount for next year. And what we have seen lately is, of course, that Russia's aggression over Ukraine has only increased. The additional increase is also happening for us in our own turf. We have seen intensified hybrid activities against Allies, not only through drone incursions, but also through sabotage, arson, threats even for assassination. And we are seeing both these things: the huge aggression with which Putin is attacking Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian energy system, critical infrastructure, and trying to undermine us. Both of them are result of his disappointment that he is not doing well on the battlefield. That he has lost so many soldiers for minimal territorial gain. I remember at the beginning of this year we mentioned that the Russian army is losing 20,000 soldiers [per month], and then we have had I think one of the one of the events where President Zelenskyy was participating - some people were shocked when he mentioned that actually the rate of casualties is about 30,000 [per month], some people were not even believing him totally. But today the rate at which Russia is paying a price for his conquest is about 40,000 [per month], And I'm saying all this with minimum, or actually no, territorial gain in certain months. So, in order to continue his war, his only strategy is to divide us. And when I say divide us, I believe it's Ukraine and us, but also divide the European Union and NATO, and to try to sow divisions and to undermine our unity. And this is why our message to Allies throughout this period was the only way we respond to hybrid activities at home, the only way we respond to his aggression in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine, is by stepping up our support. Our focus was, of course, predominantly on the military equipment, and for this year what we are seeing is our focus on key issues such as air defence, ammunition, and drones. And our appeal, our call to Allies, was to focus on supporting Ukrainian industry when it comes to the production of drones, because you actually have scaled up much faster than anyone else, and there is capacity to actually further grow. The focus, as many people have said, especially in this period, is really to step up on the air defences. It is difficult. 99% of interceptors and air defence systems were provided by NATO Allies, and this year our focus was on the 10 billion who were going through the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List, and we need still more funds until the end of the year, and I would like to use the opportunity to especially say that we have appreciated the European Union's decision to use some of the funds of the Ukrainian Support Loan to support this model, because it brings necessary interceptors and air defences to Ukraine. So, this is a goal. I look forward to the UDCG meeting that will take place mid-November. Today, one of our Allies, the Netherlands, has already pledged additional support. I think that 1.2 billion are going for non-military purposes, especially support to the energy sector, but we have also focused our attention to the 400 million who will go to military equipment, especially the focus will be manpads, air defences, and we have asked and we call on all Allies to dig deeper into the stockpiles. Every interceptor in our stockpiles matters, but every interceptor in the hands of Ukrainian armed forces means that we save lives every single day and every single night. So, our call to Allies was actually to discuss this and to decide that some of their interceptors should leave and go to Ukraine, because we need them urgently.
Speech Brief