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EU ministers to continue addressing support for Ukraine with ammunition promise

EU ministers to continue addressing support for Ukraine with ammunition promise

The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) will continue to analyze their support for Ukraine during the Council that will be held tomorrow, while the agreement on the use of 1,000 million euros to finance joint purchases of ammunition so that that country can continue defending itself from the Russian invasion is still pending.

The ministers, who will speak as usual by videoconference with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, plan to address issues such as the continuity of military support, sanctions against Russia or the way in which those responsible for the war can be held accountable.

Various community sources agree that it is increasingly difficult to impose sanctions on new sectors of the Russian economy to stop the Kremlin’s war machine and that it is preferable to focus on preventing other countries from circumventing restrictive measures.

For example, the request of Ukraine and several community countries to sanction the Russian national atomic company Rosatom is difficult to apply given the dependence on that firm of other Member States, the sources recalled.

With regard to accountability, they pointed out that disagreements within the EU continue on the type of court that could judge the crimes that are taking place in Ukraine.

A debate on the geopolitical consequences of the invasion is also on the ministers’ agenda.

In any case, the matter that “frustrates” to the Ukrainian government, as Kuleba acknowledged this week, is that the EU has not yet been able to translate into legislation the political agreement it reached at the end of March to dedicate 1,000 million euros from the European Peace Support Fund ( FEAP) to finance the joint purchase of weapons.

With this measure, they would seek to quickly replace the ammunition -mainly 155 caliber howitzers and missiles- that they already have available in their arsenals and that they are immediately delivering to Ukraine.

According to community sources, countries like France want it to be clear in the legal text that the 1,000 million must finance ammunition produced in the EU and Norway, as agreed, while it is still being debated whether they can be used for products stored in the EU but purchased from other countries.

We cannot subordinate the rate of delivery of material that is now needed, to the development of the industry. But this is a time to develop it, because there is the incentive of a demand. I think they are not contradictory things “explained the high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, in an interview with EFE this week.

Moldova and Georgia

Another highlight at the Council will be the establishment of a new EU Common Defense and Security Policy civilian mission in Moldova.

In addition, the ministers are expected to reach a political agreement on a new sanctions regime to help that country counter destabilization attempts, which will serve as a legal framework in the future to impose possible restrictive measures against specific people, sources told EFE. community.

They will also address a new aid measure worth 40 million euros that will soon be adopted within the framework of the FEAP to increase the country’s resilience.

The ministers will also hold a working lunch with the Georgian Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili, to whose country the EU has granted a “European perspective” and which it has shown is willing to recognize as a candidate for accession if it meets a dozen of priorities.

Emergency in Sudan

Another priority matter that the European ministers will deal with will be the coordination carried out by the EU to be able to evacuate community citizens from Sudan “when conditions allow”, according to a senior Union official.

The United States or the United Kingdom have already evacuated their citizens, while other countries such as France have started the evacuation and Spain and others are preparing for it.

The EU is in contact with international partners and especially from the region about the fight between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) paramilitary group since April 15, to which it has requested the immediate cessation of hostilities directly affecting the capital, Khartoum.

The peace process in the Middle East and the situations in Tunisia and Lebanon will also be addressed by the European ministers, who will also speak about the recent visits by EU leaders to China.

On the other hand, on Monday new sanctions will be approved against Iran and Syria for violations of human rights, diplomatic and community sources said.

Source: EFE

Source: Gestion

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