“The Europe Union has to use every means available to us to give an adequate response to the Russian war against Ukraine, including additional spending in the area of defence in the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework,” said Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius. On March 3 he met with EU Commissioner Thierry Breton for the Internal Market on a visit in Lithuania. The y discussed options to simply the EU public procurement procedures and to back up Ukraine’s cybersecurity sector as the country was fighting off the military invasion of Russia.
Vice Minister welcomed the EU decision to supply Ukraine with EUR 450 m worth of military aid for lethal weaponry and urged to apply the Union’s public defence procurement procedures more flexibly. M. Abukevičius also underscored it was necessary to work more closely with partners and allies in such moment and to get them all involved in the EU defence initiatives as widely as possible.
“It has been a week since Russia began the attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainians have mounted a massive resistance and they keep fighting , and it is our duty to assist them every way we can not just in the short-term but in the long-term as well. At the same time, we need to take care of our security too. It is especially vital in the current environment that the public procedures conducted respecting the EU legislation do not prevent effective defence procurement ,” Vice Minister said.
Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Romania and Croatia answered Ukraine’s call and activated the EU Cyber Rapid Response Team last week which now stands ready to help institutions of the country respond to potential cybersecurity challenges. Other ways are also looked for to boost Ukraine’s cybersecurity as the country faces the war from the Russian side.
“The CRRT has been activated, so we are monitoring the situation closely , keeping the contact with our colleagues in Ukraine and assessing a range of assistance scenarios. We are working intensely on the analysis of major threats and we urge all Allies to contribute to the efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s cybersecurity,” said M. Abukevičius.
Photo credit: LAF/ Sgt Spc 1st Class IEVA BUDZEIKAITĖ
