European Union (EU) foreign ministers decided on Monday to top up the fund for military aid for Ukraine and other partner countries.
The top up fund would amount to another 3.5 billion euros (3.82 billion dollars), an EU spokeswoman has said.
“We will continue to double down on our military support on both equipment (and) training, for as long as it takes,’’ EU top diplomat Joseph Borrell wrote on Twitter, announcing the move.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has already mobilised 3.6 billion euros from the fund for military support for Kiev, according to EU figures.
Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Borrell said continuing to support Kiev today was more important than ever.
Wagner troops advanced toward Moscow on Saturday with the aim of toppling the Russian military leadership until the mission came to an abrupt end.
The recent events showed that the war against Ukraine is leading to cracks in the Russian power system and affecting the country’s political system, Borrell said.
The tensions in Russia overshadowed the meeting of EU top diplomats, with ministers mulling the potential consequences of the short-lived uprising.
The power struggle in Russia is far from over, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arriving at the meeting.
“It is obviously only one act in this Russian drama. It remains unclear what will happen to the various players in Russia,’’ she said.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has devastating consequences on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s power system, leading to massive cracks in Russia’s propaganda, Baerbock said.
“We are analyzing this closely because, of course, this also entails risks that we are still unable to assess at the moment,’’ the minister said.
Baerbock also emphasized the importance of continued support for Ukraine, adding that Germany is to supply Kiev with 45 Gepard tanks until the end of the year.
Putin is destroying his own country with the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Baerbock concluded.
EU foreign affairs chief Borrell struck a similar chord, saying Putin created a monster by starting the war.
“The monster is biting him now. The monster is acting against his creator,’’ he added, referring to the attempted Wagner uprising at the weekend.
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn warned of the potential consequences for Europe “if the largest country of the world with the most nuclear weapons world-wide is to crumble.’’
He also pointed to other potential impacts of the power struggle in Russia that could bring uncertainty to Wagner troops deployed in African countries and make the on-going war in Ukraine even more brutal.
Even before the events of the weekend in Russia, EU foreign ministers were expected to deal with several crises in the bloc’s vicinity.
Heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia and a recent mediation meeting in Brussels which brought little progress were on the agenda, as well as the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the situation in Tunisia.
The EU is considering supporting Tunisia with an aid package of up to 900 million euros.
With the North African country is roiled by economic woes and rising numbers of migrants using it as a launch pad to reach Europe.
Ministers were also expected to impose new sanctions on Iran over persistent human rights violations.
On a more positive note, diplomatic and trade relations with the Caribbean and Latin America are also on the agenda ahead of a summit with the countries of the region held in Brussels in July. (dpa/NAN)
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