The leaders of the European Union (EU) guaranteed this Friday their support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion “for as long as necessary”, despite the emergence of another major international crisis such as the conflict between Israel and the Islamic movement Hamas. .
“The European Union will continue to provide firm financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary,” indicated the heads of State and Government of the Twenty-seven in conclusions approved at the summit of two days that ended today in Brussels.
In a press conference at the end of the summit, in which the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke via videoconference on Thursday, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that “in the debate it was very clear that, “Despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, our goal remains to support Ukraine.”
The main military support will continue to come mainly through the European Peace Support Fund (FEAP), which finances part of the weapons sent by the Member States to Kiev, and the training mission for Ukrainian military personnel carried out by the EU in community countries. , according to the leaders’ conclusions.
However, the last tranche of the FEAP destined for Ukraine remains blocked by Hungary’s veto, despite the fact that it has managed to meet the requirement that Kiev remove one of the largest Magyar banks from its list of companies that allegedly favor the war.
In parallel, the new Prime Minister of Slovakia, the populist Robert Fico, said today that “we are ready to help but not militarily, because I do not believe in a military solution to this conflict in Ukraine.”
In any case, in the conclusions of the summit, the Twenty-seven emphasize that military support and security commitments for Ukraine “will be provided in full respect of the security and defense policy of certain Member States”, and taking into account their “interests”. .
They emphasize the importance of “accelerating the delivery” of military aid to Ukraine, including ammunition and missiles, as well as air defense systems to protect its citizens and critical energy infrastructure. In the long term, they affirm that they will contribute, “together with their partners, to future security commitments with Ukraine”, in order to deter any new aggression.
Thus, the leaders urged the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, to consult with Ukraine about this and inform them at the next summit, which they will hold in December.
They also committed to intensifying the supply of equipment such as generators, transformers, mobile heating stations and high voltage and lighting equipment, in order to “help Ukraine and its people face another winter of war” in the face of “continuous Russian attacks.” against civil infrastructure.
Likewise, they will continue their diplomatic efforts to guarantee the broadest possible international support for “a global, just and lasting peace” in line with Zelensky’s peace plan.
And they asked Borrell and the Commission to accelerate the presentation of proposals to be able to legally use the extraordinary income in the hands of private entities coming directly from Russia’s immobilized assets in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
To continue “weakening” Russia’s capacity for aggression, the leaders called for further strengthening European sanctions with a special focus on their effective implementation and prevention of circumvention.
“We are preparing the 12th sanctions package and are now holding consultations with Member States. In particular, we are studying how to cut the revenue that Russia earns from diamond exports to Europe and its partners, in close collaboration with our G7 partners,” Von der Leyen indicated.
The leaders further stated that the EU will continue to “work closely” with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, and “support their reform efforts on their European pathways”, a couple of weeks before the Commission publishes its report on the progress of those countries. towards accession
