Mr. Martin emphasized Europe's unwavering support for Ukraine amidst growing concerns about Russian aggression. He highlighted the need for Europe to enhance its own defense and economic independence, expressing distrust towards President Putin. With significant sanctions already affecting Russia, he believes Europe must be prepared for possible future conflicts, underscoring the importance of ongoing engagement with the United States and the need for security guarantees for Ukraine in any ceasefire agreement. A future meeting of European leaders aims to address these critical issues.
Mr Martin said the meeting was a "huge unsettling setback, there is no doubt about that" but Europe will stand with Ukraine.
Europe does not trust President Putin, and with good reason, given what happened after the Crimean invasion and so on, after what happened today.
The big fear in Europe is that we just simply get a temporary cease fire that will become what's termed a frozen conflict.
I think the sanctions have hurt Russia, and certainly will hurt Russia in the medium term, because they've been denied a lot of key equipment.
Collection
[
|
...
]