Ukrainian army defends not only Ukraine, but whole of Europe - MP Kniazhytskyi

Ukraine's future depends on the West's help, Europe and the US should continue to support Ukraine, and negotiations are underway with the new Polish government on joint production of weapons for Ukrainian needs

Mykola Kniazhytskyi, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's group on interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Poland, said this in an interview with Polish radio RMF24.

The MP noted that Ukraine allocates half of its state budget to support the army. He emphasized that the funds received from the EU are not intended for the purchase of ammunition, but for the functioning of the state.

"We use the money we receive from our partners for social purposes, such as supporting pensioners, healthcare or education. In the absence of financial support from the European Union and the United States, Ukraine will be forced to print money, which in turn will cause high inflation. During the war, this is not the best situation for our country," Mykola Kniazhytskyi stated.

"The Ukrainian army defends not only Ukraine, but also the whole of Europe," added Kniazhytskyi.

He also spoke about the production of weapons for Ukraine. According to the politician, the best way would be to produce weapons at Ukrainian-Polish enterprises in Poland using American technology. "We are talking about this with Tusk's government," Kniazhytskyi said.

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that he was forced to agree to provide Ukraine with EUR 50 billion from the EU budget because he was driven to a dead end. At the same time, Orban is pleased that the 50 billion euros will be used to support Ukraine's economy, not for weapons. "We do not supply weapons and do not give money for weapons," the prime minister emphasized.
• On February 1, all 27 EU member states agreed to provide Ukraine with €50 billion in aid. Kyiv expects to receive the first tranche of this package in March. 
• Zelenskyy called the decision to provide EU assistance a signal to Moscow and across the Atlantic - a signal that Europe is making strong security commitments.
• On January 31, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of congressional leadership to discuss support for Ukraine.