Thursday’s European Council will have to decide whether to refinance the arms fund in Kiev. Germany is skeptical, like Austria and Malta, while Italy has not yet expressed itself
FROM THE ENCOUNTER IN BRUSSELS. “The European Union remains firmly committed to providing further military support to help Ukraine”: this is the commitment that the 27 EU leaders will be called upon to sign at the European Council which begins on Thursday. This is why a possible parliamentary resolution against the sending of weapons risks tying the hands of Prime Minister Mario Draghi during the Brussels summit, where he will also discuss increasing the sum dedicated to military support in Kiev under the European Peace Facility : the two billion allocated so far could rise to 2.5.
The commitment to provide “further military support” to Ukraine to help it “exercise its right to self-defense against Russian aggression, the defense of its territorial integrity and sovereignty” is written in black and white in the draft conclusions. of the summit – viewed by The print – which has already been discussed last Wednesday by the permanent representatives of the 27 Member States. The preparatory work at the diplomatic level will continue today and Wednesday, but according to EU sources there is solid support on this formulation and therefore the text should not undergo changes.
However, some questions still remain on the part of the document which refers to the need to increase the EU fund to collectively finance the shipment of weapons. This second passage, at the moment, is written in brackets, a sign that there is not yet the full support of all countries: “To this end – the draft continues – the European Council asks for a further increase in military support in the context of the European Peace Facility ‘. The Fund used to send weapons to Ukraine was activated for the first time on February 28, a few days after the Russian invasion, with a 500 million euro tranche. A second tranche of the same amount was then approved on March 23, a third on April 13 and a fourth on May 24, raising the total amount to two billion.
Now the President of the European Council Charles Michel – in agreement with the High Representative Josep Borrell – would like to bring the total to 2.5 billion euros. The European Peace Facility has a total endowment of 5 billion which in theory should cover the period 2021-2027, but with this pace a refinancing or a diversion of funds destined to other countries could soon be needed. Germany said it was skeptical and some doubts have also been raised by Austria and Malta, while Italy has not yet expressed itself. The question could already be raised today during the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, scheduled in Luxembourg, which will be attended by Minister Luigi Di Maio, attacked by the 5 Star Movement precisely because of his favorable position in sending weapons.
In the draft conclusions of the European Council there are no references to the need to achieve peace or to the ceasefire, as instead Italy had asked in vain at the May summit. Indeed, the message to Russia is clear-cut and leaves no room for compromise: “The European Council – reads the document to be approved by the heads of state and government – strongly condemns Russia’s indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and infrastructure. civilians, and urges Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders ”. The Moscow army – this is the appeal that will be launched by the EU summit – must leave the Ukrainian territories immediately and unconditionally. Not only those occupied after February 24, but all those who do not fall within its borders recognized by the international community. Therefore Crimea too.
Then there is a paragraph linked to the wheat war, on which there are no glimmers of truce. The EU hopes for a solution at the UN, where a resolution has been working for some time to support a naval mission. «By launching its war against Ukraine – states the draft conclusions – Russia is solely responsible for the global food crisis it has caused. The European Council urges Russia to immediately stop targeting agricultural establishments and to unblock the Black Sea, in particular the port of Odessa, in order to allow for grain exports and commercial shipping operations. To this end, the European Council supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General ”.
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