With three basic “aghathias” starts today (21.03. 24) the two-day summit of the European Union ( ) in Brussels, with the key – but not only – issue of its support . Military support in Kiev, sanctions in Moscow and enlargement will concern European leaders. In fact, according to Welt, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has approved a total of 13 packages of sanctions against Moscow and, according to its own data, has mobilised EUR 88 billion to support Kiev. About 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers have so far been trained in rapid classes in the EU. But there is another side, according to the German newspaper, sanctions have not so far been a loud success and EU countries are divided on important issues, such as how much further support should be given to Kiev. They actually wanted to prevent just that. However, the Kremlin had set out in the first place to sow discord and gradually undermine support for Kiev. That’s what’s happening now. The score is one to zero in favor of Vladimir Putin, according to Welt. 1. Military support French President Emmanuel Macron set the possibility of developing Western troops in Ukraine to help with logistical support and mine clearance, for example. The majority of EU countries strongly oppose this, including Poland. Only the three Baltic countries support Macron. The paradox is that despite his thoughts about sending Western soldiers to Ukraine, Macron has long prevented the purchase of ammunition from third countries. Meanwhile, the Frenchman changed his mind. But his veto damaged European ammunition deliveries to Ukraine because Member States are currently unable to produce enough ammunition. For months, EU Member States could not agree on further military assistance to Ukraine. EU diplomat Joseph Borrell had asked for an additional 20 billion euros. The result after intense discussions was “measured” in billions of euros. Berlin also abruptly rejected Borrell’s request – and at the same time was successfully thrown into a small war within Brussels over the financing details, which further delayed the urgent disbursement of the funds. However, the EU summit will celebrate significantly reduced financial assistance in the final declaration as a success and as a message of unity. Another problem for Ukraine is the fact that Hungary has been preventing for months for unrelated reasons the disbursement of an additional tranche of EUR 500 million from a specific EU budget. 2. Penalties The sanctions were only moderately successful – the Russian economy is expected to grow by at least 1% this year. There are many reasons for this, but the division and selfishness of Western countries in imposing punitive measures is also among them, welt notes. Important goods are not even included in the list of sanctions, such as the introduction of Russian gas, which continues to channel billions into Moscow’s national budget. Despite considerable pressure from the Baltic countries, the EU was unable to agree to the ban on imports, and Berlin was strongly opposed. Russian gas accounted for 98% of total gas imports to Austria in December, for example. Also French energy company EDF continues to do flourishing jobs with Russian nuclear company Rosatom, with plans to further intensify cooperation in the future with Macron’s support, Welt points out. Paris also prevented the addition of uranium to the list of sanctions. Germany could also do more and monitor more closely. For example, German exports of machinery and machinery parts to countries such as Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have recently increased sharply – although everyone knows that important technological components of these goods end up in Russian war equipment. 3. Enlargement There are significant differences between EU countries as to how intensive Ukraine should cooperate with the EU before accession and how quickly it can become a member afterwards. Ukrainians will “press every green button” and negotiate “unbelievably clever,” said a Brussels diplomat. Berlin and Paris tend to brake accession talks, while the Baltic and Eastern European states, as well as the EU Commission, are stepping on the gas. A current debate ahead of the EU summit shows how fragmented the dispute has become. The dispute focuses on the question whether accession talks with Ukraine (and Moldova) should begin in March or only after the June European elections. According to negotiating circles, there are about the same number of supporters and opponents of both options.
EU Summit: Kiev military support and sanctions against Moscow divide European leaders
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