The European Union released a statement during the meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and urged Russia to stop its war.

“The EU and Member States have already mobilised €12 billion worth of weapons and related supplies for Ukraine. €3.6 billion of this amount comes from the European Peace Facility. Together with macro-financial and humanitarian aid, our total support to date is approximately €50 billion.

Moreover, the EU and its Member States are an essential provider of military training for Ukrainian personnel. The EU Military Assistance Mission is on track to have trained 15,000 troops by May. We will double the effort and train another 15,000 by the end of the year. The EU is also working on a tenth package of sanctions, having already cut the dependence on Russian energy imports within just a few months. The war costs the Kremlin dearly, and these costs will only rise the longer it lasts.

Last but not least, we urge Russia to release the three illegally detained OSCE staff members and to return the stolen OSCE SMM armoured vehicles to their legitimate owner, all OSCE participating States.

In conclusion, we urge Russia to stop its war of aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We also urge the Belarusian authorities to stop their support of and refrain from any further involvement in or facilitation of Russia"s illegal war of aggression”, - reads the statement.