Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki repeated the call to tighten sanctions against Russia in the war in Ukraine. The US also wants to replace up to a third of Russian gas in the EU.
1.30pm on March 25, 2022
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Biden wanted to go from Brussels to Poland on Friday, which directly borders with Ukraine. © AP
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki repeated the call to tighten sanctions against Russia in the war in Ukraine. The sanctions would have to be “very severe” and take place now, Morawiecki said on Friday, the second day of the EU summit in Brussels. It is important to “as soon as possible” stop the flow of new money to Russia, said the Prime Minister. He was there on Friday too US President Joe Biden is to visit Poland.
Poland’s deputy foreign minister Szymon Szynkowski aka Sek also emphasized the will to tighten the measures. He also considers the “NATO peace mission” in Ukraine proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński to be one of several options. The war must be prevented from escalating. At the same time, however, he warned the West against “passivity, naivety, and hesitation.” As far as Russia is concerned, the Allies cannot afford a “policy of fear” – as initially pursued by major European powers in response to Nazi aggression.
Biden wanted to go from Brussels to Poland on Friday, it has a direct border with Ukraine. So far, approximately 2.2 million refugees from Ukraine have entered Poland, most of them have stayed. The country has approximately 38 million inhabitants.
The US wants to replace up to a third of Russian gas for the EU
In the future, the US wants to supply the EU with up to a third of the gas that the EU previously obtained from Russia. This was announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Friday.
She signed an agreement with US President Joe Biden according to which the US wants to provide the EU with an additional 15 billion cubic meters this year. liquefied gas. By 2030, additional US supply volume is expected to increase to 50 billion cubic meters per year.
Europeans wanted to diversify their sources of supply “to suppliers we trust,” said von der Leyen. “The US commitment is a big step in that direction.” The additional deliveries from the US are primarily aimed at filling Europe’s gas storage facilities before next winter. “This initiative focuses on two key issues, first, to help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian gas as quickly as possible, and second, to reduce Europe’s overall gas demand,” said Biden.
In connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO, the G7 and the EU met yesterday at special summits in Brussels. The key message should be a demonstration of unity and determination towards Russia.
The most important decisions at a glance
CALL TO ROYAL – WARNING TO PUTIN
The EU, G7 and NATO call on Russia to put a ceasefire in Ukraine and condemn the sustained attacks. Both statements involve the personal responsibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We will spare no efforts to hold President Putin and the planners and supporters of this aggression, including the Lukashenka regime in Belarus, accountable for their actions,” the G7 said in a statement.
WARNING AGAINST CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR ATTACK
Both statements warn Russia against a chemical, nuclear or biological attack in Ukraine. As a result, the NATO statement mentions the grave ramifications without further elaborating on the issue. NATO is activating its NBC defense units.
STRENGTHENING NATO’S EAST FLANK
The NATO statement announced the deployment of four additional battle groups in NATO countries: Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. The background is fear of Russian attacks. In the longer term, consideration should also be given to how to strengthen the Alliance’s defense capabilities. They are also to develop cybernetic skills. At the NATO summit in Madrid in June, member states are to commit to increasing defense spending.
RUSSIA ISOLATION – G20
While US President Joe Biden supports Russia’s exclusion from the G20, the G7’s statement is much more cautious. “International organizations and multilateral fora should no longer do business as usual with Russia,” he said. You will be informed with other countries on how to proceed. Behind this is a conflict of interest between the US and some European G7 countries.
SANCTIONS
There was no mention of new sanctions against Russia. However, the G7 countries stress their willingness to impose more. They also want to prevent the circumvention of the sanctions imposed on Russia.
RECONSTRUCTION OF UKRAINE
The EU decided to create an aid fund to rebuild Ukraine’s war-damaged infrastructure. An international donor conference is to be held for this purpose. Ukraine has an uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas from the West.
FOOD
The G7 are concerned about possible hunger due to the war in Ukraine. Therefore, it wants to avoid food export bans. G7 countries are increasing funding for the World Food Program to help poorer countries. They also want to support Ukraine as an agricultural producer.
ENERGY
The G7 countries reaffirm their goal of reducing dependence on Russian gas and oil supplies. At the same time, they appeal to the OPEC countries to increase oil supplies to the markets. So far they have refused.