EU Countries for the First Time Agree on Joint Arms Purchase

The European Union has finally approved the transfer of 1m shells, mines and missiles to Ukraine over the next 12 months. The decision was taken in Brussels by 27 heads of EU states and governments. President Zelensky spoke before them via video link and asked them to speed up the delivery of these munitions to Ukraine. Kyiv will receive 2 billion euros in military aid, euronews.com reports. This is the first time the Union countries have agreed on a joint arms purchase. “I think it’s a good deal. We are committing to buying weapons together, and that's good. It will help us spend less money. But it’s really only the first step. The second step would not only be to buy together, but to produce together,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo. EU leaders also approved a new industrial strategy centered on the development of green technologies. France would like to include nuclear power, as it has staked on the construction of nuclear power plants. Countries such as Germany and Luxembourg oppose it. “Nuclear plants are not fast, cheap or climate friendly. I’ve been saying that for years. Every country has that energy kit it wants, but to say that Europe will automatically approve it would be wrong,” said Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Another controversial topic that is not officially on the agenda, but raises a lot of debate, is the ban on internal combustion vehicles. This initiative was blocked inter alia by Germany and Italy. They are asking for an exception for synthetic electric fuel and biofuels, respectively. “We agree with the green transition goals, but we don’t think the Union should decide which technologies should be used to achieve those goals,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The UN Secretary-General, the guest of honor, came to Brussels. In a conversation before the working lunch, António Guterres drew the attention of European leaders to the problem of hunger in many developing countries and stressed the importance of ensuring global food security.