The meeting of European Council, which will last until Friday, will be particularly important precisely because it is intertwined with NATO and G7 leaders and, of course, because of the presence of the White House chief. For Italy there will be Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Born: “Strengthening the deterrence structure” NATO Secretary General Jens Soltenberg stressed that the United States and Europe are jointly tackling “the worst crisis of a generation” and stressed the need to restructure and strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence structure in light of recent events.
China knot The debate with Biden will focus on responding to Moscow and reaffirming the unity and solidity of Europe and the West in the face of Russian military aggression in Ukraine. But the discussion will be open and it is very likely that relations with China, which has remained neutral on Putin’s war, will also be discussed in view of the bilateral EU summit scheduled for April 1 with Beijing.
Biden ready to announce new sanctions US national security chief Jake Sullivan said in advance that Biden was preparing to announce “new sanctions against Russian political figures, oligarchs and organizations.” These sanctions should also include measures against over 300 members of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. And that, according to some letters from an anonymous Russian intelligence agent to exiled activist Vladimir Osechkin, the threat of a federal security service coup against Putin is increasing week by week.
Humanitarian aid in Kyiv When NATO decides on its new military operations, the European Council will consider how to help Kyiv in these dramatic circumstances. “As the war progressed President Charles Michel wrote in his letter of invitation to the leadership Russia is increasingly attacking the civilian population, targeting hospitals, schools and shelters. These war crimes must stop immediately. Those responsible and their accomplices will be held accountable according to international law “.
Russian gas between emergency services and skyrocketing prices But it is likely that the EU Council will also discuss the issue of Russian gas and European countries’ dependence on Moscow on the supply front. Proposals in this area include the creation of a task force for joint management of purchases. It could also be about the problem of skyrocketing energy prices, but there seems to be no agreement on how to deal with the question: whether to seek national solutions or a unified European solution.
“The Ukrainian people rose bravely in defense of the country continues Michel but the humanitarian needs in Ukraine are increasing dramatically and millions of people have had to flee their homes and leave their families behind. We must continue to provide humanitarian aid,” political, financial and material assistance to Ukraine. We will also examine the specific support we can offer to Ukrainian refugees and their hosts.”
The problem of sanctions It is not yet clear whether new sanctions will be discussed again: That depends above all on whether the G7 will make the appropriate decisions immediately before the Council meeting. But in this case it should only be an extension of the “black lists” of previous packages and perhaps the ban on Russian ships entering European ports, while at the moment it seems impossible that we move to the level of more harmful ( and divisive sanctions ) for many European countries in the energy sector. Other foreign policy topics on the first day are the upcoming bilateral EUChina summit and the ongoing political crisis in BosniaHerzegovina.
Zelensky on video link President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also due to meet with EU leaders around 7 p.m.: the talks with him will focus on the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the unprecedented influx of Ukrainian refugees to EU member states, which will be discussed next week by an extraordinary internal council of the Union is held.