EU Commission President lands in Kiev as SCO summit convenes

By Al-Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies & Al-Mayadeen
15 Sep 2022 15:52
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Von der Leyen arrives to Kiev to signal support while Putin meets top Asian leaders.

EU Commission President arrives in Kiev

As leaders of China and Russia were set to meet today during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, EU Commission President landed in Kiev to mark her first visit to Ukraine since the country applied for EU membership, the third since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

In a post on her social media prior to meeting with Ukraine's President Zelensky, she said, "I'll discuss with Zelensky and (PM) Denys Shmygal how to continue getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession," stating that "so much has changed. Ukraine is now an EU candidate."

Dear Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUA, thank you so much for the award of the First Class of the Order of Yaroslav the Wise.

This is a great honour.

I accept it in the name of all EU citizens.

And as a symbol of our strong bond. pic.twitter.com/6W8JPLTao3
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 15, 2022

The West has been exponentially increasing arms supplies to Ukraine, along with providing training, intelligence, and funding, to an extent making many believe the war is actually between Russia and the West combined, with Ukraine as the battlefield.

Following the massive counteroffensive carried out by the Ukrainian military that resulted in recapturing large areas in northeast Ukraine, the Pentagon admitted closely engaging with Kiev ahead of Kharkov offensive.

Last May, the US approved $40 billion funding to Ukraine, of which around $15.2 billion had been secured so far, making the US Ukraine's top sponsor.

However, amid the hysteric pump of weapons to Ukraine, a senior US defense official warned that hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US weapons sent to Ukraine might “drop into a big black hole, and you have almost no sense of it at all after a short period of time." According to a CNN report, current US officials and defense analysts agree that the risk is that some of those weapons will end up in the hands of mercenaries.

West scurries to restock arms as they run out for Ukraine's sake

Although NATO countries do not all have the same weapons, their arms are compatible, so ammunition manufactured in one country in the alliance can be used by another, but restocking these arms is crucial because the excessive pumping of weapons into Ukraine has diminished the large amounts of arms that the allies had kept for their own defense.

A prime example would be Germany, as it is Ukraine's biggest financial and military supplier, providing Ukrainian forces with weapons its own army doesn't have, followed by the US. This, however, would take annual production to just over half of what Washington has given the Ukrainians in less than six months, leading the Pentagon to urge its allies to up their own production to help refill stockpiles.

US worried EU resolve on Ukraine diminishes over energy crisis

The US is concerned that the energy crisis in Europe is weakening the drive of its European allies to continue supporting Ukraine against Russia while sanctioning the latter, CNN reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. "Drive up energy prices and sap the domestic support generally, then drive them up further and piss people off enough to create some major political problems. Oil and natural gas are [Vladimir Putin's] hammer," the US network quoted an official as saying.

In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen last July, former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn stated his belief that "pouring arms in isn't going to bring about a solution, It's only going to prolong and exaggerate this war," expecting that this war will drag on for years.

EU jeopardizing European security with Ukraine military aid

The European Union is not taking into consideration the consequences of giving military aid to Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik on September 6.

"They do it without thinking about the consequences. Borrell continues to make belligerent statements that have nothing to do with diplomacy. This indicates that the EU does not want to invest in peace in Ukraine and keeps pursuing a policy aimed at extending the conflict," he said.

SCO meeting in Samarkand

On September 15-16, Uzbekistan will be hosting the 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand this year. The Russian President will have a busy schedule with plans to meet with the Presidents of China, Iran, and Turkey on the sidelines.