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In right this moment’s episode, Brussels Correspondent Joe Barnes calls in stay from the European Council:
Arriving on the summit in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel, stated ‘it’s key for us to make very clear we help Ukraine for so long as it takes, and we are going to talk about how we are able to develop extra help’.
Plenty of the main target is on Israel and the battle with Hamas, so there are issues that type of European consideration and sources being diverted in that course and away from Ukraine. So President Zelensky, as he usually does, is anticipated to hitch EU leaders in a dialogue later as he’ll dial in through video hyperlink.
There are some things which are going to be mentioned by EU leaders in terms of supporting Ukraine. So to begin with, there’s one thing that we mentioned earlier within the week, a 500 million euro bundle to assist member states fund weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
I anticipate that’s most likely going to undergo right this moment. There’s somewhat little bit of type of opposition from the Hungarians, However I believe there’s going to be sufficient political will to slide one thing to Ukraine at a time when a lot focus is on Israel.
It gained’t all be clean crusing although, as Joe experiences:
There might be a wider dialogue on a 20 billion Euro bundle which has the identical purpose to purchase weapons for Ukraine, however over a 4 12 months interval. So that is a part of Ukraine’s long run help from the EU. That is going to be somewhat bit extra controversial, and there are some most likely greater hurdles to beat than the preliminary 500 million.
So for instance, you’ve France calling for the fund to solely be used to buy European-made weapons for Ukraine. So France desires this to primarily bolster Europe’s defence trade. France is huge on this concept referred to as a strategic autonomy, which mainly says Europe ought to be impartial of the likes of the US and different huge type of markets in terms of defence and trade.
And that is a method Emmanuel Macron sees doing that. However there are different international locations, primarily of Jap Europeans and Baltic states that argue by not permitting this fund to you to buy US weapons, UK weapons, Turkish weapons, as an illustration, that it will take away and decelerate support to Ukraine.
The largest roadblock might be Slovakia’s re-elected Prime Minister, as Joe continues:
You’ve the arrival on the town for the primary time since his re-election Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Forward of his arrival his officers had been saying that he’s not going to again any additional support or sanctions towards Russia.
He doesn’t need to fund Ukrainian weapons deliveries. He doesn’t need to sanction Russia extra. Mr. Fico campaigned closely for his September election victory on a pledge to halt his nation’s army support to Ukraine and make its overseas coverage impartial from Brussels. That’s going to be troublesome to beat.
Hearken to Ukraine: the Latest, The Telegraph’s every day podcast, utilizing the audio participant on the prime of this text or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
War in Ukraine is reshaping our world. Each weekday The Telegraph’s prime journalists analyse the invasion from all angles – army, humanitarian, political, financial, historic – and inform you what it’s essential to know to remain up to date.
With over 55 million downloads, our Ukraine: The Newest podcast is your go-to supply for all the most recent evaluation, stay response and correspondents reporting on the bottom. We now have been broadcasting ever for the reason that full-scale invasion started.
Ukraine: The Newest’s common contributors are:
David Knowles
David is Head of Audio Growth at The Telegraph, the place he has labored for almost three years. He has reported from throughout Ukraine through the full-scale invasion.
Dominic Nicholls
Dom is Affiliate Editor (Defence) at The Telegraph, having joined in 2018. He beforehand served for 23 years within the British Military, in tank and helicopter items. He had operational deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Eire.
Francis Dearnley
Francis is assistant remark editor at The Telegraph. Previous to working as a journalist, he was chief of workers to the Chair of the Prime Minister’s Coverage Board on the Homes of Parliament in London. He studied Historical past at Cambridge College and on the podcast explores how the previous shines a lightweight on the most recent diplomatic, political, and strategic developments.
They’re additionally repeatedly joined by The Telegraph’s overseas correspondents world wide, together with Joe Barnes (Brussels), Sophia Yan (China), Nataliya Vasilyeva (Russia), Roland Oliphant (Senior Reporter) and Colin Freeman (Reporter).
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