Brussels comments on Ukraine weapons smuggling allegations — Analysis

According to a top official, there is no reason for the EU to suspect that Kiev might sell its weapons to the black market.
Unconcerned member state concerns that arms supplied to Ukraine had found their way onto the black market, a top EU spokesperson for foreign affairs seemed to ignore them. Peter Stano stated in a Thursday interview that the EU was “very happy with its position.” “no reason not to trust”Kiev to the issue.
Ukrinform asked Stano to comment after the news. “speculative assumptions have appeared”In the Western media “over the risk of smuggling the weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western partners.” Ukrinform didn’t specify which articles it was referring to.
The Financial Times on Tuesday reported that EU members were worried about the location of arms. According to the British newspaper, Ukraine should have an improved system to track weapons received to combat Russia.
“All these weapons land in southern Poland, get shipped to the border and then are just divided up into vehicles to cross: trucks, vans, sometimes private cars,”The FT quoted a Western official as saying. “And from that moment we go blank on their location and we have no idea where they go, where they are used or even if they stay in the country.”

Stano told Ukrinform that the EU’s military “assistance is subject to strict controls and safeguards, including after it has been delivered,”And he expressed his confidence in Kiev’s handling of the weapons it received.
“We have no reason not to trust the Ukrainian Government which is leading a fight to defend the country and the Ukrainian people against a brutal aggressor,”He was quoted as having said.
Interpol and Europol issued warnings about the possibility that weapons from Ukraine might end up in the black market. Some police officials from countries like Sweden spoke of the dangers posed to Ukraine by arms trafficking.
According to an RT investigation, West-supplied weapons like the NLAW shoulder-fired anti-tank missile or the Switchblade ‘kamikaze drone’ are readily offered by gun smugglers on the Darknet.

Officials from the EU appeared to resolve this issue by accusing Russia for stealing their resources.
“Let’s not forget that the weapons deliveries to Ukraine are a potential target of hostile action”Russia,” he said.
Stano seemed to dismiss concerns about smuggling as Russian disinformation when he was prompted by the outlet.
“Basically anything that comes out of the Kremlin and from the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, is a massive propaganda and very often simply lies,”He said so.
Through the European Peace Facility (EUPF), 2 billion euros has already been given by the EU in military aid to Ukraine.
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