EU "twists" all ways to provide weapons to Ukraine to deal with Russia

“Breaking the bottom” was the word Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee and NATO’s most senior military official, used to describe the West’s weapons stockpiles when speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum earlier this month.

In fact, as the conflict with Russia enters its 21st month and Ukraine's counterattack is about to complete 5 months, with the current rate of "consuming" ammunition and weapons on the battlefield, the US and the European Union (EU) cannot help but consider every possible possibility to rearm their Ukrainian ally.

While Washington earlier this month transferred to Kiev thousands of rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition that the US Navy seized off the coast of Yemen from suspected smugglers working for Iran, influential figures in the European Parliament (EP) are calling for the same, Ukraine's The Odessa Journal and Defence Blog reported on October 25, citing Dutch radio station RTL Nieuws.

World - EU — A convoy of Ukrainian armored vehicles moves near Sievierodonetsk, Lugansk region, June 1, 2022. Photo: NY Times

Bart Groothuis, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Netherlands, has proposed transferring to Ukraine armored vehicles seized in violation of UN sanctions. Groothuis' proposal has been supported by prominent MEPs such as Guy Verhofstadt and Nathalie Loisseu.

“The seized vehicles are important assets for the IRINI mission and it is only fair and necessary that we transfer this equipment to Ukraine as quickly as possible. The conflict in Ukraine is turning into a war of attrition, and the transfer of nearly 150 armored vehicles will send a clear message of solidarity,” said MP Groothuis.

Specifically, late last year, the IRINI mission – the EU force responsible for patrolling the Mediterranean to prevent violations of the UN arms embargo on Libya – seized the cargo ship MV Meerdijk of the Groningen Shipping Company (Netherlands) off the coast of North Africa.

When it was seized, the MV Meerdijk was carrying 41 BATT UMG all-terrain armored vehicles, originating from a factory based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), heading to the eastern Libyan port city of Benghazi, controlled by General Khalifa Haftar.

After IRINI inspectors discovered the military equipment, the ship was diverted to the French port city of Marseille, where the equipment was impounded for violating sanctions. The MV Meerdijk was allowed to continue its journey after the military equipment was impounded.

Groningen Shipping Company insists that it has acted in full compliance with applicable regulations and has all the necessary permits and documentation. The company also claims to be cooperating with the IRINI investigation.

However, UN monitors found irregularities in the MV Meerdijk's documentation, including the absence of an “end-user certificate”, a key document for the transport of military cargo.

UN monitors also attempted to contact Groningen Transport for clarification but received no response. The company declined to comment on the matter when approached by RTL Nieuws.

TAG Middle East FZC of the UAE, the manufacturer of the seized armoured vehicles, claimed that the vehicles were intended for maintaining order and combating illegal immigration into the country, and argued that they were outside the scope of sanctions. However, the UN has rejected this claim.

The batch of 41 BATT UMG armored vehicles was not the only one seized by the EU last year. On another transport vessel intercepted by IRINI in the summer of 2022, more than 100 Toyota all-terrain vehicles were found that had been converted with weapons and armor.

In total, the EU IRINI mission has seized at least 146 military vehicles destined for Libya. These armoured vehicles are currently being held near Marseille.

An IRINI representative confirmed to RTL Nieuws that transferring the confiscated vehicles to an ally like Ukraine is possible. But the final decision will be made by the European Council .

Minh Duc (According to Defense Blog, Odessa Journal)

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