Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas says that Vilnius and other EU capitals are considering giving support to Ukraine in “other forms” than weapons and money, without elaborating what they might be.
“I believe that in the near future, we will see, judging from discussions with other ministers, various initiatives to step up support to Ukraine, and not necessarily in the form of weapons,” he told LRT TV on Tuesday evening.
In addition to political measures, Anušauskas said, countries that support Ukraine have agreed to increase assistance and possibly change its form.
“We are supporting Ukraine militarily and, of course, financially, and we are providing training support, but I think that there may be other forms as well, but I don’t want to elaborate on that right now,” he said.
“Let it be a surprise for Russia how Ukraine can be supported,” he added.
Estonian intelligence has estimated that if European nations contributed 0.25 percent of their GDP to Ukraine’s military budget, that would allow Ukraine to fight this year and prepare for a new offensive next year.
“If we take the commitments that Europe is making and has made in terms of support for Ukraine, the 50 billion [euros] over several years, if it were 0.25 percent, it would double military aid and basically make up for the US absence,” Anušauskas said.
Last week, Russian forces captured Avdiivka, a key town in eastern Ukraine, after intensifying their offensive in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
The situation of the Ukrainian army has been further worsened by the holdup of a 60-billion-dollar US aid package.
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