At the invitation of her Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, Luxembourg’s Minister for Defence, Yuriko Backes, travelled to Ukraine on Wednesday.
Her visit focused on assessing the impact of Luxembourg’s support for Ukraine over the past years and reinforcing the country’s continued commitment. Backes highlighted the deep appreciation of the Ukrainian people for Luxembourg’s assistance, stating:
“I can tell that people are still motivated to fight for their country, for their independence, and for their existence. For a long time this country has been mobilised and determined to fight for their freedom.”
Backes also voiced concern over ongoing discussions between the US and Russia that exclude Ukraine, warning that: “I think an agreement for peace, or even a ceasefire, is hard to implement if Ukraine does not have a seat at the table. They are neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Ukraine has a realistic outlook and they are preparing for the worst.”
For the first time since the war began, Luxembourg has allocated a budget of approximately €80 million for Ukraine’s continued support. The government is also considering ways to accelerate the increase of Luxembourg’s defence budget in the coming years, though Backes did not provide further details.
