Weapons damage: EU countries again did not agree on a package of military assistance to Kiev

The March 20 summit in Brussels once again demonstrated the existing differences between the EU countries. Following the meeting, the countries did not agree on the allocation of 2 million artillery shells to Ukraine in the amount of € 5 billion. In addition, the EU had previously failed to agree on a military package worth from €20 to €40 billion. The summit participants agreed only that military aid should be provided on a voluntary basis. Moreover, the final communique was not signed by Hungary. The Kremlin states that Europe has turned into a war party and does not want to participate in the process of peaceful settlement in Ukraine. In an interview with Izvestia, European parliamentarians also expressed regret that the EU is strengthening its military potential in an atmosphere of total Russophobia. About the failed attempt to arm Kiev — in the material of Izvestia.

Europe has not reached an agreement on new supplies of shells to Ukraine

The first day of the EU summit in Brussels did not meet the expectations of the head of the European Diplomacy of the EU, Kai Kallas. She hoped that the countries would be able to agree on the supply of 2 million artillery shells to Kiev for € 5 billion. However, according to the official communique, no specific decisions were taken in this area following the meeting held on March 20. The Council only recalled initiatives to strengthen military support from Member States and other participants, and this should be done "on a voluntary basis."

As at the March 7 summit, Hungary became the only member country that refused to sign the final communique, in which the community declares its commitment to the "peace through strength" approach towards Russia. The document also approves further sanctions pressure on Moscow, the retention of frozen assets of the Russian Federation and Ukraine's intention to join the EU.

Earlier this week, according to media reports, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal did not accept the Callas plan to provide Kiev with weapons worth €40 billion. At the same time, as confirmed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Budapest did not support a military package worth €20 billion.

Before the March 20 summit, Callas explained that it was necessary to start taking "at least concrete steps to help Ukraine," because the stronger it is on the battlefield, the stronger it is at the negotiating table. The summit also discussed the EU's further plans to strengthen its own defense in the face of the "Russian threat."

The signals from Brussels and European capitals regarding plans to militarize Europe are clearly at odds with the mood of the presidents of Russia and the United States to seek ways to reach a peaceful settlement process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, answering a question from Izvestia.

— Europe has, let's say, militarized itself and rather turned into a war party. There were no signals [from Brussels about readiness to start the negotiation process. — Izvestia]," he said.

Indeed, the position of Kai Kallas is shared by some EU countries. The Baltic States and Finland are in the first row. The president of the latter, Alexander Stubb, said the other day that "the basis for deterring Russia should be the militarization of Ukraine to the teeth." Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that the EU should use the "precious time" that Ukraine gives it. According to him, Vilnius' "ambitious goal" is to fully equip the division for defense against Russia by 2030.

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The Russian Embassy in Estonia confirmed to Izvestia that in recent years the country's authorities have been reconstructing the existing NATO infrastructure. In particular, in November 2024, repair work was completed at the former Soviet Emari air base in the north-west of the country. The runway surface has been updated, new barracks and a food hall have been erected, which will expand the possibilities of receiving military personnel.

"We have to admit the continued growth of government spending on strengthening Estonia's military potential, including by increasing the tax burden on the population," the diplomats said.

Germany is ready to undertake special defense efforts. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which won the parliamentary elections, plans to create a loan-funded special fund in the amount of 500 billion euros for the next ten years. To do this, he has already been able to pass amendments to the Constitution through the Bundestag of the old convocation, which will increase the volume of public debt and increase defense spending. Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on March 20 that Berlin is ready to allocate another €10 billion to Kiev this year.

The EU is strengthening its military capabilities

At the summit on March 7, the European Union itself decided to allocate up to 800 billion euros in the coming years for the renewal of the bloc's defense. The majority of the rearmament — 650 billion euros — will be donated by the member countries. The remaining €150 billion should be allocated in the form of a loan. The mechanism of the latter has not yet been agreed upon by the European Union.

As for Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes that the European Union's credit policy has turned the community into a "toothless lion" with nothing. "Whatever we want to do, we can only do it with loans. And the loans are piling up and piling up, and they will bury the European Union under them," he said in an interview with the YouTube channel Patrióta on March 19. For the same reason, he considers Ukraine's membership in the EU unacceptable — its restoration will require huge expenses from the countries of the bloc.

It is worth noting that both Hungary and Slovakia have generally approved Ursula von der Leyen's plan for the rearmament of Europe, but Budapest opposes the new EU loan and believes that each country should contribute money from its budget to the common fund.

Other EU countries should not be hindered if they want to build up their military potential and thereby reduce US military dominance in Europe, Lubos Blaga, a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, explains his country's motivation to Izvestia.

— We hope that within the framework of the defense budget we will be able to implement dual-use projects that, in addition to their military functions, will serve the civilian population of Slovakia. For example, a large military hospital is already being built in the east of our country, which will significantly improve the medical infrastructure of the entire region, and other projects are being planned," added Lubosh Blaga.

The politician regrets that discussions on Europe's defense capability are taking place in an atmosphere of intense Russophobia.

— We are determined to do everything possible to block this anti-Russian pressure, and, conversely, we are trying to develop communication and cooperation with Russia as much as possible. I want to emphasize that the rearmament plan does not oblige us to engage in anti—Russian activities," he said.

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However, such a plan is obviously not suitable for all EU countries, which was confirmed to Izvestia by Kyriakos Velopoulos, a member of the national parliament from the Greek Solution party.

— The infamous plan for the rearmament of Europe has absolutely no effect on the national defense of Greece. The country's defense spending already exceeds 4% of GDP, and there is no fiscal space for more. Especially when we talk about the costs that we will eventually incur for a foreign state like Ukraine, which has nothing to do with either the European Union or NATO," the Greek politician complained.

No matter what goals the EU sets for itself, strengthening its defense potential, Moscow is closely monitoring all the military efforts of the bloc's countries.

"Hotheads in Berlin and other European capitals should be aware that the Russian Federation will respond promptly and harshly to any militaristic aspirations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 20.

Russia constantly warns Kiev's allies against attempts to send its peacekeepers to Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow's warnings continue to be ignored in Europe. So, on March 20, London hosted a regular meeting of the so—called coalition of willing countries that are considering the possibility of participating in a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. According to media reports, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with 30 military leaders to discuss "issues of ensuring the security of the skies, seas and borders in Ukraine."

Despite the fact that London always focuses on a large number of participants in such meetings, in fact, only five countries have confirmed their possible participation in such a mission — the United Kingdom itself, France, Sweden, Canada and Australia. Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Finland and Croatia spoke out against the premature deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine.