European Union (E.U.) leaders struck a despairing tone in Brussels on Friday as they called for the world’s community to focus on helping Ukraine against Russia’s invasion as Middle East turmoil steals away the global spotlight.
AFP reports the discussion on Ukraine was taking place on the second day of a European summit after the first day was dominated by coming up with a unified E.U. position on the Israel-Hamas war.
“It’s really important that one of the outcomes of this meeting is that we don’t lose focus on Ukraine because of all the other things that are happening in the world and not least in the Middle East,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on arrival.
“It would be very easy to lose focus on the war in Ukraine and essential that we don’t do that,” he said.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar talks to the press ahead of European Council meeting as the leaders of the E.U. member states gather to discuss the unfolding situation in the Middle East in Brussels, Belgium on October 26, 2023. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
After hours of wrangling, the leaders late Thursday issued a demand for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” so aid can get into Gaza and for access to trapped civilians there, including hundreds of E.U. passport holders.
Discussion on Ukraine, which has been a top agenda item for E.U. summits since Russia invaded in February last year, was mostly pushed into Friday, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called in during Thursday’s session.
The call for a refocus on Ukraine support comes as the portion of Americans against sending additional weapons to the embattled country is on the rise, growing by seven percent since May, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll, published earlier this month, indicates support for Ukraine is waning, as 46 percent of Americans were in favor of shipping weapons to the country in May, but now only 41 percent would back such an initiative.
There is a similar push back against sending more U.S. taxpayer dollars as well.
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Nick Gilbertson / Breitbart NewsSome 29 percent of Americans were against sending weapons in May, but that number has surged and now sits at 35 percent. This marks an 11-point swing in the change of public opinion.
Currently, the Biden administration is seeking another $24 billion in aid on top of the $113 billion the U.S. has already provided the nation.
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