The foreign ministers of the European Union meet this Monday to discuss support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, when 24,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained on European soil, and relations with Latin America.
At the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which will take place in Luxembourg, the support of the European Union (EU) to Ukraine will be discussed, specifically in the field of the European Peace Support Facility (MEAP).
European sources explained that, within the framework of the MEAP, the EU is “training Ukrainian soldiers at a much faster rate than expected”, given that 24,000 soldiers have already been trained, out of a target of 30,000 for this year.
So far, Member States have also delivered more than 200,000 munitions and more than two missiles to Ukraine.
In mid-April, the EU Council approved an allocation of more than 1 billion euros from the MEAP to deliver ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, adding this amount to the previous seven deliveries, the total contribution amounted to 4 ,6 billion euros.
MEAP was created in 2021 to support the EU’s military and defense partners, with the main objective of preventing conflicts, preserving peace and enhancing international security and stability.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The agenda of the meeting of the heads of European diplomacy also includes the relationship of the EU bloc with Latin America and the Caribbean, which the EU wants to “take to a new level”, following a strategy announced by the European Commission at the beginning this month to strengthen alliances, according to European sources.
Earlier this month, the European Commission described as a priority for the EU the resumption of summits with the “strategic partner” Brazil, within the framework of strengthening relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, proposing a permanent coordination mechanism.
The position is part of the new agenda for relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, presented at the time in Brussels, within which the European Commission proposed to strengthen the dialogue between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States . (CELAC), with more regular summits and a permanent coordination mechanism.
The new agenda for relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean will be in the spotlight at a summit between the community bloc and CELAC to be held in Brussels in mid-July under the Spanish presidency of the Council.
Among the initiatives planned are the renewal of the political association, the strengthening of the common trade agenda, an investment strategy to accelerate a green and digital transition and combat inequalities, the fight against transnational organized crime and the promotion of the state of law and humanitarian aid.
Source: TSF
