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While US Congress dithers and stalls on aid to Ukraine, EU rebels disrupt parliamentary agenda to spur action
European Parliament Blocks EU Council Budget Until Ukraine Gets its Patriots
Belgian MEP leads rebellion in European Parliament to block financing for the Council of the European Union in response to Ukrainian pleas for additional air defense assets.
The European Parliament met in Brussels on Thursday, April 11 with a vote on approving the EU Council’s budget on the agenda. However, after an intervention by former Belgian Prime Minister now a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Guy Verhofstadt it was decided to block approval of the budget.
With a vote taken and 515 MEPs for and only 62 against Verhofstadt’s motion to refuse to discharge the EU Council's budget until European leaders agree to support Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems was adopted.
...
Verhofstadt, a well-known and vociferous advocate for Ukraine, told parliament: “What I find scandalous is that Europe, which is opening the door for Ukraine, and the European Council are not even capable in such an urgency to decide to send a number of anti-missile systems to Ukraine.”
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/30985
Belgian MEP leads rebellion in European Parliament to block financing for the Council of the European Union in response to Ukrainian pleas for additional air defense assets.
The European Parliament met in Brussels on Thursday, April 11 with a vote on approving the EU Council’s budget on the agenda. However, after an intervention by former Belgian Prime Minister now a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Guy Verhofstadt it was decided to block approval of the budget.
With a vote taken and 515 MEPs for and only 62 against Verhofstadt’s motion to refuse to discharge the EU Council's budget until European leaders agree to support Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems was adopted.
...
Verhofstadt, a well-known and vociferous advocate for Ukraine, told parliament: “What I find scandalous is that Europe, which is opening the door for Ukraine, and the European Council are not even capable in such an urgency to decide to send a number of anti-missile systems to Ukraine.”
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/30985
For those who can, and aren't too sniffy to, use Twitter, here's Verhofstadt's powerful intervention:
Link to tweet
Guy Verhofstadt
@guyverhofstadt
BREAKING — Parliament refuses discharge of the Council budget until European Council decided to support Ukraine with additional Patriot anti-missile systems !
[Twitter video]
@guyverhofstadt
BREAKING — Parliament refuses discharge of the Council budget until European Council decided to support Ukraine with additional Patriot anti-missile systems !
[Twitter video]
The move has been dismissed by the likes of Politico as "little more than theatrics".
Things look a whole lot different across the Atlantic, where we're not wringing our hands at Ukraine striking Russia where it hurts in an existential war.