The EU might supply Ukraine with military equipment seized on the way to Lybia

Members of the European Parliament consider transferring confiscated armoured vehicles to Ukraine that were to be sent to Libya.

According to the Dutch television RTL Nieuws, European Parliament members have proposed sending the confiscated military equipment to Ukraine.

The proposal was submitted by the Dutch MEP Bart Groothuis and backed by French MEP Nathalie Loiseau, chair of the parliament’s defence subcommittee, and Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian Prime Minister.

“We urge you to hand over to Ukraine the seized vehicles of Operation IRINI and similar military equipment or ammunition from this or other EU operations,” the letter says.

Groothuis’ letter will be sent to member states from the Council’s Political and Security Committee, which handles security policy, and the European Peace Facility Committee, which allocates off-budget EU funding given to Ukraine, Politico reported.

About 146 vehicles modified for military purposes were seized in 2022 in Operation IRINI. The European Union Naval Force’s Mediterranean Operation IRINI was launched on 31 March 2020 with the primary mission of enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya due to the country’s Second Civil War.

On 11 October 2022, the Dutch cargo ship MV Meerdijk was intercepted by the naval forces of the EU military mission off the coast of North Africa, where this military cargo was found.

An EU military vessel operating in the Central Mediterranean Sea for Operation IRINI detected the ship on its way to Libya. Upon Operation IRINI’s request, under UNSCR 2292, the Netherlands, as the ship’s flag state, gave its consent for the inspection and on 11 October, a team was sent on board to check the nature of the vehicles.

Such a precedent was already set by the United States when Ukraine received confiscated ammunition that was being shipped to Yemen. The US also plans to provide Ukraine with weapons that were seized from Iran.

So, the Dutch lawmaker in the European Parliament sees an opportunity for Europe to do the same.

“Because the US is doing it, so why can’t we? It’s all about political will. Libya is actively lobbying in the UN to get those armed vehicles back in Libya, and I think it’s the worst possible solution”, Bart Groothuis told Morning Defense.