Interior Ministers Of Baltic States, Poland Urge EU To Fund Demining Activities In Ukraine

The interior ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have urged the European Commission and the Council to send demining specialists to Ukraine and also consider financing these efforts from the EU budget, Lithuanian interior ministry said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2022) The interior ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have urged the European Commission and the Council to send demining specialists to Ukraine and also consider financing these efforts from the EU budget, Lithuanian interior ministry said on Friday.

"The joint letter of the Ministers of the Interior of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, initiated by Minister A. Bilotaite, calls on the European Commission to coordinate the provision of support for demining of the Ukrainian territories and asks to assess the possibilities of financing these activities with EU funds," the statement said.

The letter was sent to the European Commission, France, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Czech Republic as its successor, inviting them to "coordinate the mobilization of demining experts in Ukraine.

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However, the statement failed to mention that a substantial part of those explosive devices have been planted by Ukrainian forces and nationalist battalions, who have been mining critical infrastructure facilities, civilian buildings and the waters of ports, preventing ships from delivering supplies to other countries.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.