Two years of Russia’s illegal war of agression in Ukraine. Witnessed firsthand the suffering of the Ukrainian people during my recent visit to Kiev. This war must end. Our support for Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa remains unwavering 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/04gwbNqYI2

— Ian Borg (@MinisterIanBorg) February 24, 2024

In a separate statement in his capacity as chairperson of the OSCE, Borg pledged that Ukraine will remain a priority during Malta’s chairpersonship of the European security council

“Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has not only undermined peace and stability across the OSCE region, but also set a concerning precedent for global security and the international rules-based order,” Borg said.

He pledged to maintain the OSCE’s support to Ukraine in addressing and mitigating the fallout of the aggression.

Borg’s statement comes as two newspapers – Times of Malta and MaltaToday – quoted anonymous sources as saying the Maltese government had expressed doubts over a proposed joint European Council statement to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Two years of unprovoked aggression in 🇺🇦 have left many scars & reminded of the brutality of war. The most visible victims are civilians who we must protect. 🇲🇹 does its part by providing humanitarian aid & will continue to promote peace & social progress amongst all nations.- RA

— Robert Abela (@RobertAbela_MT) February 24, 2024

The sources said that Malta felt uncomfortable with a pledge to continue offering lethal weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia.

In fact, Prime Minister Robert Abela’s statement about the war was much milder than his Foreign Minister’s.

“Two years of unprovoked aggression in Ukraine have left many scars and reminded of the brutality of war,” Abela said.

“The most visible victims are civilians who we must protect. Malta does its part by providing humanitarian aid and will continue to promote peace & social progress amongst all nations.”

The proposed European Council joint statement was ultimately vetoed – not by Malta, but by Hungary.

Rather than a joint statement by EU member state leaders, a statement was issued by European Council President Charles Michel, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The three presidents pledged that the EU “will continue its strong and unwavering political, military, financial, economic, diplomatic and humanitarian support to help Ukraine defend itself, protect its people, its cities and its critical infrastructure, restore its territorial integrity, bring back the thousands of deported children, and bring the war to an end.”

They also reiterated their support for Ukraine eventually joining the EU.