ISTANBUL

It is “time to act” and “not to debate,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday, commenting on the need for further military support for the country, where Russia started a "special military operation" in February 2022.

“We need concrete and bold decisions today to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot and SAMP/T systems, missiles, artillery and ammunition, and other weapons and equipment as soon as possible. Now that you are all here at the table, it's time to act, not to debate,” Kuleba told a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers, in which he participated online.

Kuleba and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who also took part in the session, expressed gratitude to their European counterparts for the support provided since the start of the conflict.

Kuleba also welcomed the passing of $60 billion aid bill to Ukraine by the US House of Representatives on Saturday, but added that Europe “cannot and should not relax.”

"First of all, the defense of Europe is first and foremost a matter for us, Europeans. Secondly, over the six months of discussions in the United States, Europe has demonstrated real leadership and the ability to act. I am grateful to you for this. We have to remember this feeling and continue this forward movement of Europe," he said.

Kuleba said Ukraine is capable of stopping Russia on its territory and preventing the conflict from spreading to other countries, arguing that “strength stops Russia” while “caution only provokes it.”

The only way to prevent Russia from causing a bigger war in Europe is to “inflict painful losses” on the Russian military in Ukraine, the Ukrainian diplomat argued.

“Only by inflicting a defeat on Putin on our territory can we force him to abandon his aggressive plans for Moldova, Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and other European countries," he said.