International Minister Tobias Billstrom reportedly forgot his passport and couldn’t journey to the summit in Kiev
Swedish International Minister Tobias Billstrom forgot his passport and couldn’t enter Ukraine for an EU Council summit in Kiev, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported on Monday. A number of European ministers skipped the assembly, which noticed the bloc supply “solidarity” – however no new army support – to Ukraine.
With out his passport, Billstrom was forbidden from crossing the Poland-Ukraine border on Monday for a gathering of EU overseas ministers in Kiev later that day, Die Presse reported, citing diplomatic sources.
Billstrom missed out on an eight-hour prepare journey to the Ukrainian capital for a largely symbolic gathering. Though the summit was historic in that it marked the primary time that the EU Council has ever met outdoors of the union’s borders, it delivered little in the way in which of concrete help for Ukraine.
In an announcement after the gathering, EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell introduced that member states would try and agree on a €5 billion ($5.2 billion) arms package deal for Ukraine subsequent 12 months, and would contribute €50 billion in financial support, if inside disagreements inside the bloc may be overcome.
Within the meantime, the summit “despatched a powerful message of solidarity and help to Ukraine,” Borrell mentioned.
Billstrom was not the one overseas minister to skip the assembly. Polish FM Zbigniew Rau despatched his deputy, Wojciech Gerwel, in his place, telling Polish media that an ongoing spat between Warsaw and Kiev over grain imports had “shaken” the belief between the previously shut companions.
Hungarian International Minister Peter Szijjarto additionally despatched a deputy in his place. Budapest has forbidden the switch of weapons to Ukraine by way of Hungarian territory, has repeatedly referred to as for a ceasefire and peace deal between Moscow and Kiev, and opposes financial sanctions on Russia. Hungary has additionally maintained its veto on a €500 million arms package deal for Kiev since Could.
“The extra weapons we provide – the extra folks will die, the longer the warfare will proceed and the better the destruction shall be. And the extra sanctions packages we undertake, the extra we destroy European competitiveness,” Szijjarto informed the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet on Tuesday.
Latvian International Minister Krisjanis Kariņs additionally missed Monday’s summit attributable to sickness.
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