The heads of diplomacy of the European Union (EU) are discussing today, in Brussels, the continuation of military support to Kiev and the tenth package of sanctions to Moscow, on the eve of the first anniversary of the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In a meeting that will have the presence of their Ukrainian counterpart, the foreign ministers of the 27 should hear from Dmytro Kuleba the most urgent needs of the Ukrainian armed forces in view of the expected spring offensive that Russia could launch, and should focus on ammunition issue.
On Saturday, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for an acceleration of the production of conventional weapons, such as ammunition, which Kiev “desperately needs”, and on the table will again be the possibility for EU Member States to move towards joint purchases.
Estonia, the Baltic country at the forefront of support for Ukraine, presented its partners with a quantified proposal: an allocation of four billion euros from the Member States to the European Peace Facility, the instrument that has been used for almost a year for the purchase and supply of arms to Ukraine.
The 27 will also discuss the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, based on the proposal presented last week by the Commission, and which covers critical technologies for the Russian war machine, with a total amount estimated at more than 11 billion euros, and it is also aimed at the Kremlin’s “propagandist machine”.
This package, which the EU wants to adopt this week to mark the first anniversary of the start of Russian military aggression, which takes place next Friday, February 24, includes industrial goods that Russia needs, such as electronic equipment, specialized vehicles , machine and engine parts, spare parts for trucks and jet engines.
On the other hand, the list of individuals and entities targeted by restrictive measures should be extended, for the first time, to Iranian entities, including those linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as Tehran is supplying Russia with drones that have been used to attack infrastructure. civilians in Ukraine.
At a working lunch, the 27 will also meet with the deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova, Nico Popescu.
Portugal is represented at the meeting by Minister João Gomes Cravinho.
*With Lusa
