“OThe five billion is approved and there has been some discussion about how this might have a short-term impact on our joint support for Ukraine as well. It is a very positive step, but unfortunately, given current perspectives, it will not be the last support through the European Peace Support Mechanism [MEAP]”, announced the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho.
Speaking to the Portuguese press in Brussels on the sidelines of a meeting of the heads of EU diplomacy, the Portuguese person responsible for supervision defended continued support for Kyiv.
“To support Ukraine, what we have to do is reinforce concrete military support, namely supporting ammunition and, therefore, Portugal took the decision last week to come forward with another 100 million euros for a joint acquisition with the Czech Republic of ammunition”, said João Gomes Cravinho.
At today’s meeting in Brussels, European Foreign Ministers approved the reinforcement of the MEAP by five billion euros, at current prices, reserving this amount for Ukraine within the scope of a new fund that aims to ensure that the country has assistance military to continue defending itself from the Russian invasion.
Called the Ukraine Assistance Fund (AUF), the new instrument aims to “maximize the EU’s added value in terms of providing more and better operational support to Ukraine, complementing EU Member States’ bilateral efforts and focusing on increasing of joint public contracts for the European and Norwegian defense industries”, says the Council of the Union in a press release.
The funds in question were blocked in the Council and are intended to ensure that countries continue to supply Ukraine with the ammunition that the Ukrainian armed forces need, in a logic of reimbursement of donations from Member States (i.e. stocks, unilateral and joint purchases of equipment available on the market and unilateral acquisitions).
Following today’s decision, the MEAP financial ceiling will total more than €17 billion for the period 2021-2027.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Ukraine’s Western allies have supplied weapons to Kiev and approved successive sanctions packages against Russian interests to try to diminish Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort.
Read Also: Russia? “If it were full democracy”, it would not support war with Ukraine
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2523519/chefes-da-diplomacia-da-ue-aprovam-mais-5000-milhoes-em-apoio-a-kyiv
