EU Parliament to withhold funding to European Council until Ukraine receives Patriot systems
The European Parliament will not adopt a decision on financing the European Council until Ukraine receives additional Patriot air defense systems from its allies, reported a permanent member of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, on Twitter.
Speaking in the European Parliament, Verhofstadt proposed removing the decision on adopting the European Council's budget from the agenda until European countries can find additional Patriot missile defense systems for Ukraine.
"What is happening in Ukraine is terrible. It is terrible because, as you have all seen, over the past 20 days, there have been numerous Russian attacks on ordinary cities in Ukraine, hospitals, power installations, apartment blocks. And I find it scandalous that Europe is not even capable of immediately deciding to send Ukraine anti-missile systems," he said.
The deputy added that European countries have a hundred Patriot systems, while Ukraine only asks for seven.
"Parliament refuses discharge of the Council budget until European Council decided to support Ukraine with additional Patriot anti-missile systems," Verhofstadt wrote on social media.
The decision was supported by 515 members of the European Parliament, with 62 against.
Read also: Frustrated by shortage of air defenses, Ukraine's FM Kuleba pleads for seven Patriot batteries ASAP