MEPs approve financial support of €35 billion supported by Russian assets: the 964th day of war
The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee approved, this Monday, a proposal on a exceptional macro-financial assistance loan of up to 35 billion euros to Ukrainewithin the scope of the G7’s 45 billion initiative.
In a statement released after a meeting in Brussels, the parliamentary committee indicates that, for 31 votes in favor, four against and no abstentionsapproved the European Commission’s proposal to support Ukraine with an exceptional macro-financial assistance loan of up to 35 billion euros.
This is the contribution of the European Union (EU) within the scope of the G7 (group of the seven largest world economies) initiative to support Ukraine with a maximum amount of 50 billion dollars (around 45 billion euros) to face urgent needs. of Kiev’s financing in the face of the Russian invasion.
The contribution from the community block will have now to be approved by the European Parliament in the plenary session from October 21st to 24th.
Supporting such community support are the extraordinary revenues obtained from the fixed assets of the Central Bank of Russia, which together with possible contributions from countries should help Ukraine to repay the exceptional loan, which will be made available until the end of 2024 and disbursed by the end of 2024. end of 2025, through democratic and political commitments.
Last week, ambassadors from EU countries reached an agreement on this exceptional loan. This package was announced weeks earlier by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during a visit to Ukraine.
At the time, Ursula von der Leyen considered that the package will “improve Ukraine’s macro-financial stability” and “provide a very significant budgetary space to meet needs, which will free up more national resources to reinforce, for example, military capabilities”.
The EU also announced that it will extend the training mission for Ukrainian military personnel during two more years and is considering a potential extension until after 2026, the head of European diplomacy announced this Monday.
“We will extend the military assistance and training mission for another two years and we want to find a consensus to extend it even further, after the conclusion of this mandate”, said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in a press conference at the end of a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.
Ukrainian embassy in Lisbon evacuated after bomb threat
Here, the Ukrainian embassy in Lisbon was evacuated at the end of the morning after a bomb threata source from the PSP in Lisbon confirmed to Lusa, who sent an explosives deactivation team to the location.
“The embassy received an ’email’ in which it was informed that the building was completely booby-trapped and that, today, the explosives were going to be triggered remotely”, said the same source from the PSP’s Lisbon Metropolitan Command, confirming advanced information by Correio da Manhã.
The PSP source indicated that the contact occurred after 12:30 pm and, at around 2 pm, elements from the Explosive Inactivation and Underground Security Center (CIEXSS) were still on site. Police also reported that the building was evacuated, but were unable to say how many people were there when the alert was given.
Other news that marked the day:
⇒ Os defense ministers of Russia and China appealed in Beijing to the strengthening strategic military cooperationat a time when the West criticizes the Chinese leadership for its approach to Moscow, in the context of the war in Ukraine. “Russian-Chinese military cooperation is an important element for increasing defense potential and maintaining regional and global stability,” said Russian minister Andrei Belousov at the beginning of the meeting with his counterpart in the Chinese capital.
⇒ The Council of the European Union adopted sanctions against seven people, including Iran’s deputy defense minister, and seven entities from that country by fsupply of missiles and drones to Russia.
⇒ A resident of Sevastopol, in the Ukrainian Crimea annexed by Moscow, was sentenced in Russia to 21 years in prison for “high treason” in favor of Ukraineannounced the Russian security services (FSB). Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, trials for “sabotage”, “treason”, “terrorism” or “espionage” — which often carry heavy sentences — have increased as a way to limit protests.
