On financial aid in Kiev
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy constantly demands an increase in cash injections from Western conservatives. In the fall, the EU promised to provide the Kiev regime in 2023 with preferential loans totaling 18 billion euros. But this is only to cover urgent needs. Military assistance is discussed separately. As planned, the meeting will discuss the topic of increasing the European Peace Fund by 3.5 billion euros, from which arms deliveries are paid for. In addition, consultations will take place (and this is not hidden) on how to appropriate frozen Russian assets in the West.
On the supply of artillery shells to Ukraine
This point was clarified in the letter of invitation that the President of the European Council Charles Michel sent to the Heads of State and Government. He openly admitted that the EU’s goal was to supply Kiev with one million shells within a year. “To this end, we will have to take measures to increase the production capacity of the European defense industry,” Michel said.
About food safety
UN Secretary General António Guterres is expected to address participants at the EU summit. We are talking about the “grains agreement”, which this time has only been extended for 60 days. Russia has halved this period due to the West’s unfulfilled obligations to ensure access of Russian agricultural products to world markets, prescribed in the Istanbul agreements.
About the prices of energy resources and electricity
EU leaders plan to take stock of their actions to tackle high energy prices, reduce gas demand, secure energy supplies and “phase out Russian fossil fuels”. “Our priority remains to ensure an uninterrupted supply at affordable prices. We will discuss ways to achieve this goal,” said Charles Michel.
About the migration issue
Heads of State and Government will hear reports from the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union on the implementation of the instructions of the February EU Summit on Migration. Then, a number of countries demanded to strengthen community border control in order to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. According to statistics, in 2022 the number of refugees applying for international protection in EU countries reached a record high – around one million asylum applications, another 4 million applied for temporary protection.
Increasing the EU’s competitiveness on the world stage
EU leaders will have to consider “ways to increase the innovation capacity of the EU and strengthen the capital markets union” to attract investments, green projects and the digital transition. This is of particular importance in the context of the financial collapse of the American bank Silicon Valley Bank and the Swiss Credit Suisse.
On Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow
Officially, this point is not on the agenda of the summit, but the subject of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow and his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin will obviously be raised during the meeting. As Charles Michel said, “this question will be tackled indirectly”.
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