Robert Abela Expresses ‘Firm Support’ For EU’s Ukraine Strategy And More Russian Sanctions
Despite his recent criticism of the EU’s Ukraine strategy and warning that Ukraine cannot win the war, Prime Minister Robert Abela ended up expressing his “firm support” for it during a Brussels summit yesterday.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the only EU leader to block the approval of joint conclusions in support of Ukraine, warning it went against US President Donald Trump’s deal-making initiative.
The other 26 leaders, including Abela, then endorsed an “extract” which speaks about “peace through strength”, military assistance and security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Achieving ‘peace through strength’ requires Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position, with Ukraine’s own robust military and defence capabilities as an essential component,” the text endorsed by Abela reads.
View this post on Instagram
“This applies before, during and after negotiations to end the war. To that end, the European Union remains committed, in coordination with like-minded partners and allies, to providing enhanced political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people, and to stepping up pressure on Russia, including through further sanctions and by strengthening the enforcement of existing measures, in order to weaken its ability to continue waging its war of aggression.”
The text also includes a pledge for the EU to provide Ukraine with €30.6 billion in financial support this year, including through windfall profits generated from frozen Russian assets.
Meanwhile, Abela and other leaders welcomed the readiness of EU member states to “urgently step up efforts to address Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs, in particular the delivery of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles, the provision of necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades, and other needs that Ukraine may have.”
The text clarifies that all military support and security guarantees for Ukraine will be provided in full respect of the security and defence policies of certain member states, meaning that Malta – as a constitutionally neutral country – won’t have to participate.
After the summit, Abela defended his decision to endorse the EU strategy by pointing out that Malta won’t have to invest in weapons and ammunition.
“If other countries choose to invest in weapons, that’s up to them, but we have been given a guarantee that we can stay out of it,” he said.
“We won’t be responsible for the payment of this loan either. Those who choose to invest in weapons must pay for it themselves. We will invest in peace, we will invest in people, and we will offer to host peace talks.”
READ NEXT: ‘Unacceptable’: Malta Exploring Swiss Court Case Against Eurovision Censorship
