The EU summit ended with a surprisingly quick agreement on billions in additional aid for Ukraine. However, the Union is late in supplying the urgently needed ammunition. Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promises to make improvements.
Europe has proven its leadership and unity today, Von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel emphasized after the special summit. “We know that Ukraine is fighting for us. “The European Council today reaffirmed its support for Ukraine,” said Von der Leyen. Shortly before the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the additional 50 billion euros for Ukraine would be “a strong message to Putin.”
Zelensky criticizes the EU for its slowness
EU military assistance to the Ukrainian defenders should also be strengthened. This is desperately needed: they actually wanted to deliver a million artillery shells to Kiev by March 2024, but this promise will probably not be kept. Until the beginning of the year, only 330,000 rounds of ammunition had been delivered from the EU to Ukraine, as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced. Therefore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was grateful for the additional aid, but blamed the backlog in arms deliveries.
“Must speed up production”
“More is needed and more will come,” Von der Leyen hastened to emphasize on Thursday. She announced a new strategy from the European Commission to strengthen the European defense industry. “Europe must move from emergency aid to defense preparedness,” said the Commission President. “We need to speed up our production to deliver faster,” says Michel.
The additional aid payments to Ukraine are being made because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gave up his veto before the summit of 27 heads of state and government. It is unclear exactly why; there had been a discussion beforehand with top EU politicians, but no details leaked out.
The aid payments will be reviewed in two years
One reason for Orbán’s concession could be that a review of aid payments could take place in two years. Orban had previously called for an annual review. This was rejected by some heads of state on the grounds of poor planning. The ongoing proceedings against Hungary for violations of the rule of law under Article 7 of the EU Treaty had not been discussed among the 27, Council circles said. Releasing currently frozen EU funds for Budapest was also not part of the deal.
The head of the Commission emphasized that the EU’s proposed revision of the multiannual EU budget, with resources to combat illegal migration, support Western Balkans partners and tackle natural disasters and humanitarian crises, was also adopted today.
Ten billion for measures against illegal migration
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) welcomed the fact that ten billion euros were available for measures against illegal migration and called this a success. He was also convinced that the increase in the EU’s financial framework until 2027 was smaller than the European Commission’s original proposal due to redistributions.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
