Ministers of Defense in European Union Will meet next Monday to analyze Long-term military support for UkraineAssuming that Kiev will need at least 70 billion euros annually to support its armed forces, even if a ceasefire with Russia is reached in negotiations initiated by the United States.
According to Ukrainian estimates, this amount will be necessary to maintain the army, even in the scenario of temporary suspension of the conflict. The reduction in US aid is pushing European countries to strengthen financing mechanisms, ahead of the European Union leaders’ summit held on December 18, which is expected to take a decision on loans backed by Russian assets frozen on the continent.
European sources indicate that it is necessary to ensure the solidity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as an element of defense and deterrence, highlighting the size of the financial requirements, despite the potential ceasefire.
During the meeting, the ministers will also exchange views on peace negotiations with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal and the Secretary General of NATO. Mark Ruti. It is among the central topics Proposal for a loan of 140 billion euros for Ukraine using Frozen Russian assetsin an initiative that the European Commission is preparing to formalize.
High Representative of the European Union, Kaja KalasShe admitted that questions still remain regarding the use of the liquidity of these assets, although she considers this path the most feasible. Currently, about 22 member states support the initiative, while in Belgium there are legal doubts and a group of countries still have reservations.
For her part, the President of the European Commission said, Ursula von der LeyenHe urged on Wednesday to continue European pressure on Russia until an agreement is reached “Just” peace. In Ukraine also ensures the security of the continent. In this context, he stressed the need for the European Union to participate in all decisions related to the security architecture in the region.
The meeting of European bloc defense ministers will also review progress on the delivery of two million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, a project which, according to the EU External Action Service, is already 80% completed.
At the beginning of the year, Callas They gave priority to the provision of artillery ammunition after their joint proposal to allocate it 40 billion euros in military aidin proportion to the size of European economies, will not receive the support of countries such as France, Spain or Italy.
The meeting also takes place in the context of the closing deadline for European governments to submit their national plans on the SAFE programme, which aims to encourage joint procurement of military materials through loans worth 150 billion euros. So far, Spain has allocated about $1,000 million in this scheme.
In total, 19 member states have requested access to this European fund created this year to promote rearmament, whose goal is to mobilize 800 billion euros in the defense sector over the next decade. For its part, the European Commission is conducting negotiations with Canada and the United Kingdom to include the two countries in this initiative.
(Information from Europe Press)