EU agrees on security commitments for Kyiv
EU agrees on security commitments for Kyiv
The EU has agreed on common security commitments for Ukraine. The measures are intended to guarantee Kiev political and military support until it joins the EU or NATO. At the front, Ukraine is coming under increasing pressure, reports Moscow correspondent Christoph Wanner.
The European Union wants to give Ukraine security assurances. A draft is currently being discussed with Kiev and is available exclusively to WELT AM SONNTAG. In the document, Brussels specifies whether EU soldiers can be sent to Ukraine.
DThe European Union wants to make extensive security commitments to Ukraine in its defense against Russia by the beginning of July at the latest. They concern political, military and economic aid and are intended to apply until Ukraine has joined the EU and NATO.
According to information from WELT AM SONNTAG, the responsible ambassadors of the 27 member states of the Union recently agreed on an eleven-page text classified as “confidential”, which is currently being discussed between the European External Action Service and the government in Kiev.
The document, seen by this newspaper, says: “The European Union and its Member States are playing a key role in Ukraine’s immediate and long-term security and resilience, through military, civil, humanitarian, financial, trade and economic assistance Support, the accommodation of displaced people, the support of reforms, reconstruction and reconstruction, but also through restrictive measures and diplomatic support.”
Specifically, the EU assures Ukraine of immediate consultations in the event of further attacks. The draft from the 27 EU countries states: “In the event of future aggression, the European Union and Ukraine intend to consult within 24 hours on the needs of Ukraine, violating its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN “exercises the Charter”.
However, this excludes the direct participation of EU soldiers alongside Ukrainian soldiers in combat operations against Russia. However, Brussels promises Ukraine continued supplies of lethal and non-lethal weapons, continued training of soldiers, assistance in security sector reform, support in demining the country and cooperation in countering hybrid threats and cyberattacks.
Help with reconstruction
“The support fund for Ukraine will have a budget of five billion euros in 2024. Further comparable annual increases can be envisaged until 2027.” However, this depends on what the Ukrainian army needs in the future and what additional bilateral contributions the EU countries make.
At the same time, the EU is committed to providing Kiev with massive support for reconstruction. This will probably require financial aid that will be at least in the high three-digit billion range. As early as February 2023, the World Bank had estimated the cost of rebuilding the country at $411 billion.
Since then, the extent of the destruction has increased significantly. A senior EU diplomat privately hinted at how difficult this challenge would be for the Europeans. “At some point we will also have to co-finance the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as a major donor,” he said.
It is generally expected in Brussels that the EU Commission will soon make a proposal that – similar to the so-called reconstruction fund to combat the consequences of the Corona epidemic – provides for a type of Eurobond to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine and the Gaza Strip .
The EU wants to make security commitments primarily under pressure from the government in Kiev. However, the commitments are no more legally binding than the bilateral agreements on security guarantees. According to internal EU information, only seven member states have so far given such guarantees: Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and Latvia.
Another seven EU countries refuse to conclude bilateral agreements with Ukraine on security commitments: Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus and the neutral states Ireland, Austria and Malta. Switzerland and Turkey, which do not belong to the EU, also do not want to agree on a security agreement with Kiev.
At the EU summit at the end of June 2023, the 27 member states agreed to make “future security commitments” to Ukraine. During negotiations in recent months, the three neutral states insisted that the EU – unlike individual member states – should not provide security guarantees, but only security commitments. From the perspective of these countries, commitments are less binding than guarantees.