West needs to replace "support for war" with "support for Ukraine's victory" – Estonian defence minister
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur believes the core issue with the West's support for Ukraine is the absence of a clear political decision on its purpose. He emphasises the need to shift from merely "supporting the war" to "supporting Ukraine's victory".
Source: a European Pravda reporter, citing Pevkur's statement at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague
Details: The minister entered the debate on the "strategic uncertainty" surrounding Western assistance to Ukraine, noting how Western partners often speak of providing Ukraine with "the assistance it needs" and "for as long as necessary" yet deliberately avoid specifying what the end goal should be, in order not to constrain the war's outcome.
Pevkur emphasised that this lack of certainty means the West is not providing Ukraine with what it needs.
"The key question we politicians have to answer is whether we want Ukraine to fight or win. We lack a political decision regarding the fact that we want Ukraine to win. If this decision is made, then the next steps become clear," he stressed.
He is convinced that if Ukraine's victory is defined as a goal, the West will be able to adopt a victory strategy. Pevkur emphasised that Estonia, which officially seeks Ukraine's victory, has taken these steps.
"The strategy we are proposing states, among other things, that we should spend 0.25% of GDP on helping Ukraine," the minister said, adding that this would be enough to supply the weapons Ukraine needs.
"The problem is not the supposed lack of a strategy in Ukraine: Ukraine knows what to do. The problem is the lack of funds and the absence of weapons. And there are also idiotic restrictions that I don't understand," he added.
Background:
- A small number of politicians and officials in the West are publicly advocating for continued support for Ukraine until it secures victory against Russia. Among them is Estonia's new Prime Minister, Kristen Michal.
- Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his intention to present the Ukraine Victory Plan to US President Joe Biden, as well as to presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
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