We met to talk: no money was found for Kiev at the EU summit in Brussels
An EU summit was held in Brussels, where the countries tried to agree on rules for the transformation of the EU into a military superpower. In particular, they sought to find money both for their own rearmament and for the support of Ukraine. However, as a result, the states could not come to an agreement to allocate even €5 billion in military aid to Kiev. At the meeting, the parties talked a lot about supporting Ukraine, but not financially. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The financial issue remained open
At the summit of EU leaders in Brussels, key issues related to defense, support for Ukraine and economic aspects were discussed. However, despite expectations, it was not possible to reach consensus on many issues.
One of the main topics was military support for Ukraine. Initially, the head of EU diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, offered to provide military assistance to Kiev for € 40 billion. But due to disagreements between European countries, the amount was reduced to €5 billion. However, even this figure was not approved due to objections from France and Italy, which disagreed with the principle of allocating contributions based on gross national income.
As a result, no practical decisions were made at the EU summit on new military assistance to Ukraine.
The European Commission has approved a relaxation of fiscal rules so that member states can increase defense spending beyond the established limits. A new financial mechanism in the amount of €150 billion was also proposed for joint purchases in this area.
The details of the plan's implementation remain a matter of dispute. For example, Greece proposed to introduce grants for investments in defense, and the Netherlands opposed the issue of Eurobonds, fearing an increase in the debt burden.
"The text of the statement was firmly supported by 26 heads of state and government of the EU countries (excluding Hungary. — Ed.). The European Council will return to the discussion of this topic at its next meeting (scheduled for the end of June. — Ed.)," the final document on the results of the EU summit says.
Hungary again did not support the joint initiatives of the European Union on Ukraine. This time, the leaders of 26 countries agreed in advance not to involve this state in the discussion, which effectively legitimized its right to disagree with the rest of the EU. At the same time, Brussels abandoned the idea of punishing Hungary with the suspension of voting rights in order to avoid further division within the union.
We did without Budapest
The publication notes that 26 states "took note of initiatives to strengthen military support for Ukraine, especially the initiative of the High Representative for coordinating assistance from the EU and other participating states to supply large-caliber missiles and artillery shells on a voluntary basis," but without mentioning any quantitative expression of this assistance or its cost.
At the same time, the countries called for "urgent increased efforts to meet the urgent military needs of Kiev." They added that EU states will provide military assistance to Ukraine in "compliance with the requirements of defense policy," as well as in "compliance with the interests of defense and security of each EU state."
Despite the lack of concrete financial solutions, EU leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, declaring their "constant and unwavering" commitment to its independence and territorial integrity. Skepticism was also expressed about possible negotiations between Russia and the United States on a truce.
In addition, the summit discussed the situation in the Middle East, migration issues and economic aspects, but no significant decisions were made on these topics.
The meeting demonstrated that, despite the common goals, the EU countries continue to face serious disagreements, especially on issues of financing and allocation of resources. This highlights the difficulty of reaching consensus in the context of the diversity of interests and priorities of the members of the union.
What do the experts think
Natalia Eremina, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at St. Petersburg State University, notes in an interview with Izvestia that the EU is now trying to solve a dilemma that cannot be solved for it.
— Declare an end to the conflict and admit the fallacy of their actions, or continue, arguing that supplies to Ukraine and financial assistance are right and "defending democracy." They will not be able to solve the dilemma, as they do not have the resources and necessary experience in resolving issues of building up and using various weapons," the political scientist explained.
According to her, the EU countries do not have a common point of view. The only way for the EU to show its subjectivity is to demand a place at the negotiating table, which is actually equivalent to recognizing participation in the conflict, because European states do not act as a neutral party.
The expert believes that this is why countries are not able to fully implement any plan.
— They will not be able to achieve their goals, no matter what they offer. But they will show themselves to the whole world as participants and instigators of the conflict. In this form, even for the United States, the European Union turns into an unreliable partner," the analyst concluded.
Elena Panina, director of the RUSSTRAT Institute for International Political and Economic Strategies, believes that Hungary is being turned into a pariah of Europe.
"Brussels has found a way to ignore Hungary's opinion, particularly on the joint statements of the European Union. The text of the statement on Ukraine dated March 20, agreed by 26 out of 27 countries, was attached to other resolutions adopted unanimously and published as an official opinion of the European Council," the expert noted.
In her opinion, Orban, by not signing the EU statement on Ukraine, is trying to avoid not only additional economic burden on his country, but also its participation in a direct military clash with Russia. The expert points out that the text of the document contains the thesis of "the EU's constant and unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," that is, Ukraine within the borders of 1991. There are only a few steps from such statements to a direct military clash, the political scientist is sure.
Elena Panina believes that in this way "the military confrontation with Russia is firmly embedded in the policy documents of the European Union."
"And the voice of reason represented by Hungary will simply be ignored. "New Normal" is very convenient. It should be noted that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico became more accommodating after the assassination attempt on him. Accordingly, Viktor Orban needs to take careful care of his personal safety," the analyst argues.
Next Thursday, March 27, a summit of the "coalition of the willing" on Ukraine will be held in Paris. According to the interlocutor of Izvestia, the main purpose of this event is to participate in the possible deployment of "peacekeepers" on its territory and provide Kiev with "security guarantees."
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico
"It will be a group of countries under the conditional name of Europe-Plus: the States of the continent, Britain and the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as some Asian countries. London and Paris intend to involve 37 participants in this," the expert believes.
In her opinion, there is a "continuation of the formation of the anti-Russian coalition of globalists."
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
