Parliament Speaker: We are open to sell weapons in Ukraine – Republic

photo. Christopher Butler Fotorzepa

Poland is open to it to sell weapons in Ukraine – said in Friday Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna. Stipulated, however, that it depends on the financial capacity of Ukraine.

“We are open. It is a business,” – said on Friday in TOK FM Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna. He stressed, however, that you should not make the atmosphere around this issue that we now begin the stage of selling weapons.

The Minister estimated that the Ukrainians themselves must budgeted to purchase weapons. “This is their sovereign decision” – he said. He added that it is also “the question of the Ukrainian finance and will to make tough, tough decisions.”

On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence Tomasz Siemoniak said that “there are no obstacles” for sale by the Polish arms industry for Ukraine.

The Ambassador of Ukraine Andriy Deszczyca, when asked on Friday in RMF FM, whether Ukraine needs a weapon, he replied: “Yes, we really have your weapon, but I think that these conversations with guns must be carried out by the people who are familiar with weapons, by experts from the Ministry of Defence and such consultations underway. ” He added that now Ukraine is focused on it, “to find out political, diplomatic.”

The European Union agreed on Thursday that it will extend the list of persons and entities subject to sanctions in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. As said on Thursday Parliament Speaker, the EU has managed to make such a decision despite the large differences.

At an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels decided that during the week will prepare a new list of people who will be covered by the visa and financial sanctions – in the form of entry into the EU ban and assets freeze. “February 9 will be accepted decision by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs” – told reporters on Thursday the head of Polish diplomacy.

The ministers also agreed that extend to September this year, in force since March last year visa and financial sanctions. These penalties apply to 132 people and 28 companies and organizations. They are both leaders of the Ukrainian separatists and Russian politicians, the military and the people around the Kremlin.

“Then the European Commission and the External Action Service will continue to work on preparing the next steps” – said Parliament Speaker. As stated, it shall mean the work on economic sanctions. However, decisions about such restrictions may be adopted only in March at the EU summit.

This document, published after the meeting does not speak directly about economic sanctions, but only to ‘work on the development of appropriate measures “to ensure rapid implementation of the agreements with Minsk concerning, inter alia, ceasefire in the east of Ukraine.

The extension of the blacklist is related to the escalation of fighting in the eastern Ukraine, including Saturday’s attack Mariupol, which killed 30 people. Responsibility for the escalation of the EU impose on Russia, which – as highlighted in the document – continuously supports separatists in Ukraine.

Parliament Speaker: We are open to sell weapons in Ukraine – Republic