Zelenskyy says Ukraine to focus on creation of ‘new European arsenal’ in 2024

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said that his country will focus on the creation of a “new European arsenal” this year.

“This year, Ukraine will make maximum efforts with all partners to create a new European arsenal," Zelenskyy said during a press conference with his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevics in the capital Riga.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine intends to establish production cooperation at such a level that will "ensure the prevention of Russian aggression against Europe.”

"Russia only cares about strength, and we all, all of us in Europe, need this kind of strength," Zelenskyy further said.

Zelenskyy also said that European countries need to work more productively in their respective defense sectors to become self-sufficient in defense.

“No matter what Russia threatens, no matter what aspect of our life Russia makes its target, Europe must be able to respond. It has the right to defend itself,” Zelenskyy said.

He went on to say that they mustn’t allow Russia to “freeze” the war in Ukraine, which he argued would provide Moscow with time to prepare for a counteroffensive in the future.

For his part, Rinkevics announced that his country will provide Kyiv with a new military aid package, which he said includes “howitzers, 155mm ammunition, anti-tank weapons, missiles, grenades, helicopters, drones, communication devices, generators, and other equipment.”

Rinkevics further said that the prime ministers of both Ukraine and Latvia will sign a memorandum of cooperation in the military sphere and an intergovernmental agreement on providing assistance to Ukraine.

He also said that the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, voted to allocate more than €500 million ($547.9 million) for a reconstruction program focusing on the country’s northern Chernihiv region within the next three years.

Commenting on the new military aid package by Latvia to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on X that he is grateful for Riga’s “clear understanding that the strength of Ukrainian warriors, positions, and future is the strength that secures Latvia’s independence as well.”

“That is why it is so important for us, Latvia, and all of our partners to continue working in the most coordinated, effective way possible, and with maximum effort to defeat Russia,” he further said.

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy held talks in neighboring Estonia as part of a regional visit to the Baltic states that began on Wednesday with a visit to Lithuania.