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BRUSSELS – The Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven approved on Monday 18 March the package of new military aid to Ukraine worth 5 billion euros, developed in recent days at diplomatic level. At the same time, in addition to criticism for the recent elections in Russia, the heads of European diplomacy have agreed on a new package of sanctions against the Kremlin. There was then lively discussion on the association agreement with Israel.
With the disbursement of another 5 billion euros “we will continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, by any means and for as long as necessary”, said the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell . The Union will use the money to finance the purchase of military equipment as well as the training of troops. With the 5 billion euros, the fund’s ceiling is now set at 17 billion euros for the period 2021-2027.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s re-election, with more than 87% of the vote, was based on “repression and intimidation”, the former Spanish foreign minister said. The presidential election “was not a free and fair vote.” The European Union has stressed that it will not recognize the results of the “illegal” elections held in the Ukrainian territories under Russian control. “They are null and void and cannot produce any legal effect,” the Twenty-Seven stated.
In this context, ministers decided yesterday to sanction 30 individuals and entities responsible for the assassination of activist Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison. The High Representative then announced a proposal on the use of the profits produced by the Russian assets frozen by the Union. The money would be used to support Kiev. The High Representative admitted that among the Twenty-Seven on this hypothesis “there is no unanimity, but there is a strong consensus”.
Finally, on the Middle Eastern front, the Twenty-Seven unanimously approved individual sanctions against both violent Israeli settlers attacking the Palestinian community in the West Bank and against Hamas (both under the human rights regime). «There is a political agreement that must be confirmed at a procedural level», specified Josep Borrell.