(Finance) – The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz he said he was sure that the signal sent by the EU to Putin it is “very clear”. “He has made a mistake in his calculations if he believes that we will not be able to support Ukraine for as long as necessary and the use of profits” from immobilized Russian assets “is a small but important fundamental element”, he declared while arriving at the European Council in Brussels. The income of profits from assets Russians frozen “can be used by the European Union and, in my opinion, first and foremost to have the opportunity to acquire the weapons and ammunition that Ukraine needs for its own defensive fight,” Scholz added.
As regards the conflict in Middle East Scholz emphasized “a cease-fire more lasting.” “We always take it for granted that the government Israeliin his military activity in Gaza Stripwill adhere to what is established by international law for his country but also for all of us,” he added.
Even the Prime Minister Georgie Melons came to the Europa Building for the European Council. Before the EU summit, the 27 heads of state and government met with the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres during a working lunch. “The European Union has a long tradition of defending universal values. We count on the EU as our faithful ally in the fight for peace, justice and human rights everywhere,” the UN secretary general wrote in a post on X, thanking Charles Michel for today’s invitation to the European Council. The Council opened with a greeting from the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola and with a joint speech from the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The European Council which meets today and tomorrow in Brussels “is not a war council. We must work for peace, from Ukraine to the Middle East. We must do everything for a de-escalation, a reduction of the conflict”, declared the Italian Foreign Minister, Anthony Tajani, in Brussels, on the sidelines of the EPP pre-summit. “To achieve peace in Ukraine – he added – we must defend Kiev, which must not be defeated by the Russians. We need to reach a balance. If there is a winner and a loser, there is no peace agreement. And the winner cannot be the one who violated international law.”
“Today the European Council will discuss” the possibility of introducing defense bonds “probably without making a decision – the EU Economy Commissioner announced to ANSA Paul Gentlemen, on the sidelines of the pre-summit of the EU socialists in Brussels –. However, it is clear that current events require us to find common financing tools. I believe we are not there yet, and this may be a cause for regret, but we need to go in that direction.”