As of: 02/27/2022 7:16 p.m
For the first time, the EU wants to finance the purchase of weapons for an attacked country. This was announced by EU Commission President von der Leyen. An emergency aid fund is to help the Ukrainian army. Other sanctions are aimed at Russian airlines and the media.
Under the impression of the Russian war against Ukraine, the EU is turning away from its previous line of not supplying weapons to warring parties.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels that for the first time in its history the EU would finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and military equipment “to an attacked country”.
Radical change of course
“Lethal weapons” and fuel supplies for the Ukrainian army, protective equipment and medical equipment should be financed with an emergency aid fund, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. This is the end of “the taboo according to which the EU does not supply weapons to warring parties”.
According to unconfirmed media reports, the EU wants to provide Ukraine with half a billion euros – 450 million euros for weapons and 50 million euros for other equipment. According to plans, the money will come from the so-called European Peace Facility. It is a new EU financing instrument that can also be used to strengthen the capabilities of armed forces in partner countries.
Airspace closed to Russian planes
The EU leadership also announced punitive measures against Russia and Belarus. The entire EU airspace will be closed to Russian aircraft, said von der Leyen. A number of EU countries, including Germany and Austria, had taken the lead in blocking their airspace. Canada has since followed suit.
Von der Leyen said the ban should also include Russian-owned, Russian-registered and Russian-controlled aircraft. There will only be exceptions for a few purposes, such as humanitarian matters.
Russia on Saturday announced it would close its airspace to planes from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovenia after those countries closed their airspace to Russian planes in response to the invasion. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Luxembourg also imposed such a flight ban.
Off for RT and Sputnik
The EU also wants to stop “the Kremlin’s media machine.” State-owned Russia Today and Sputnik and their affiliates will be banned in the EU. The broadcasters would “no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and sow division in our Union,” von der Leyen said.
Advice on refugees
The EU interior ministers discussed in Brussels how the Union could prepare for a large number of refugees from Ukraine. According to EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the EU must prepare for a huge flight from Ukraine. She doesn’t know how many people will come, said the Swede. “But I think we have to prepare for millions.”
So far, around 300,000 Ukrainians have come to the EU because of the Russian war against Ukraine. However, few had applied for asylum or sought protection in Member States’ shelters. Instead, they stayed with friends or relatives.
But you have to be prepared for many more people to come, said Johansson. She will therefore propose a solidarity platform to coordinate the help offered by the EU countries.
So far, no EU country has asked for the redistribution of refugees, not even one directly on the border with Ukraine like Poland or Ukraine. According to the Polish border guard, more than 200,000 refugees have arrived in Poland since the start of the Ukraine war.