President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking via video link at the Council of the European Union, called on European states to supply modern tanks to Ukraine.
He emphasized that defense support for Ukraine should not decrease, as it is important for the protection of Ukrainian freedom and the very idea of Europe in the global confrontation with Russia.
"But in addition to this, we need more modern weapons, a larger volume of supplies. This also applies to air defense and anti-missile defense - I ask each of the twenty-seven countries of the European Union to decide what specifically you can do to increase the volume of air defense and anti-missile supplies. This applies to modern tanks - there is no rational reason why Ukraine should not get them now," Zelenskiy said.
According to him, the European state, which will be the first to provide modern tanks to Ukraine, will open up the possibility of similar supplies to the whole world and will be remembered as one of the most important defenders of modern freedom.
In addition, Zelenskiy noted, the supply of long-range artillery and missile systems to Ukraine would also help speed up the end of Russian aggression.