THE HAGUE, July 2. /TASS/. European countries should make long-term commitments to financing and providing military support to Ukraine regardless of the timeline or prospects for a possible ceasefire agreement, according to a report by the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV), which advises the Dutch government.
According to the report's authors, the prospects for a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict depend directly on maintaining large-scale military assistance to Kiev, including a steady supply of ammunition, air defense systems, logistical support, and help in rebuilding military infrastructure.
The council also recommends investing simultaneously in the development of Ukraine's defense industry and expanding the production capacity of Europe's defense sector. In the AIV's view, this policy should form part of Europe's long-term security strategy rather than depend on the progress of negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has repeatedly said that Western assistance to Kiev will not alter the course of the fighting and that Western-supplied weapons "will continue to be systematically destroyed by the Russian armed forces."