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EU Rattles Iran

EU leaders appealed for calm as Israel weighed a response to the drone and missile attack from Iran on Saturday….reports Asian Lite News

European Union leaders agreed late on Wednesday on new sanctions targeting Iran for the direct attack on Israel.

The EU has decided “to put in place sanctions against Iran”, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters in the early hours of Thursday morning after the first day of a two-day summit.

“The idea is to target the companies that are needed for the drones, for the missiles,” he said. Further details are to be finalized, he added.

“The European Union will take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles,” the EU leaders’ statement said.

The EU summit on Wednesday and Thursday was originally meant to focus on the bloc’s economy and its competitiveness. But rising tensions in the Middle East pushed the economic discussion into the second day’s agenda.

EU leaders appealed for calm as Israel weighed a response to the drone and missile attack from Iran on Saturday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Israel not to retaliate against Iran with a “massive attack of its own” on his arrival.

Scholz called on Israel to now use the successful defence against Iran’s missile and drone attack “to strengthen its own position in the entire region.” On this basis, “a corresponding military response would certainly not be appropriate,” he said.

Iran said the drone and missile attacks were retaliation for the killing of high-ranking Iranian officers in a missile strike on Iran’s embassy in Syria at the start of the month.

Sanctions may be imposed through a regime set up after Iran began supporting the Russian war on Ukraine by supplying Moscow with drones.

These sanctions banned the export of components used for the construction and production of unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran, and may be expanded to make it harder for Iran to produce missiles.

Calls from Israel to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite unit of the Iranian armed forces, as a terrorist organization are more difficult to meet.

The IRGC would first have to be prosecuted by a national authority for terrorist activities under EU law to prompt this sanction. Scholz said however a recent court ruling in the EU, concerning the activities of the IRGC, is being examined by EU officials.

This could open the way to a terrorist designation for the IRGC, Scholz said. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country would support sanctions on the IRGC.

As well as the Middle East, EU leaders also discussed Ukraine’s need for air defence weapons with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined the meeting by video call.

In his address to EU leaders, Zelensky called for greater support against Russian air assaults.

He drew a comparison between the support Israel received where US, French, and British jets helped shoot down Iranian drones and missiles and the help, or lack thereof, that Ukraine receives against Russian bombardment.

“Here in Ukraine, in our part of Europe, unfortunately, we do not have the level of defence that we all saw in the Middle East a few days ago,” he said. “Our Ukrainian sky and the sky of our neighbours deserve the same security,” he added.

The EU leaders’ statement “underlines the need to urgently provide air defence to Ukraine and to speed up and intensify the delivery of all the necessary military assistance, including artillery ammunition and missiles”.

Germany has already delivered two Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine and will deliver one more, Scholz said.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands and Denmark are working together to provide F16 fighter jets.

“We know that we have to do more than we have been doing so far to support Ukraine now. This applies in particular to all the air defence capabilities that are required,” Scholz said.

ALSO READ: US Plans Sanctions on Iran After Attacks on Israel

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Meta under fire for lowering minimum age for WhatsApp use in Europe

Meta-owned WhatsApp says on its website that the change in Europe is to ensure “a consistent minimum age requirement for WhatsApp globally.”…reports Asian Lite News

Social media giant Meta is facing criticism for lowering the minimum age for WhatsApp users in Europe from 16 to 13. The move has been condemned by children’s rights advocates who have urged Meta to reverse the decision.

According to The Guardian, the change was announced in February and was implemented in the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday (10 April). This comes amid an ongoing debate over the use of smartphones by school-going children and how harmful it can be.

To bring the messaging platform in line with the EU’s new online safety laws, WhatsApp updated its terms of service and privacy policies, including lowering the minimum age to 13, reported Mirror.

Meta-owned WhatsApp says on its website that the change in Europe is to ensure “a consistent minimum age requirement for WhatsApp globally.”

UK-based campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood said that the move “flies in the face of the growing national demand for big tech to do more to protect our children”, reported The Guardian.

“Officially allowing anyone over the age of 12 to use their platform sends a message that it’s safe for children. But teachers, parents and experts tell a very different story. As a community we’re fed up with the tech giants putting their shareholder profits before protecting our children,” the group added.

Daisy Greenwell, the group’s co-founder, said in a statement that WhatsApp was “putting shareholder profits first and children’s safety second”.

She called reducing the age limit “completely tone-deaf”, adding that it “ignores the increasingly loud alarm bells being rung by scientists, doctors, teachers, child safety experts, parents and mental health experts alike” over the dangers of social media use for children, reported CNN.

Conservative MP Vicky Ford said Meta’s decision to change the age limit without consulting parents was “highly irresponsible”.

However, WhatsApp has defended its decision. A spokesperson for the messaging platform told CNN, “We give all users options to control who can add them to groups and, the first time you receive a message from an unknown number, we give you the option to block and report the account.”

WhatsApp also gives accessibility only to those who have the user’s phone number. Users can also restrict their visibility through Privacy Settings.

However, questioning the efficacy of WhatsApp’s safety features, Smartphone Free Childhood said the app could be disruptive for teens at schools like other social media platforms. The group warned about young people having “unrestricted internet access in their pockets” and its wider impact on their development, mental health and social lives, reported Sky News.

Other famous social media and messaging platforms, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) list 13 as their minimum age requirement for users.

WhatsApp’s recent change has sparked criticism amid the ongoing debate in the UK over age limits for young people using mobile phones and social media.

As per a blog by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), children are exposed to many risks on WhatsApp such as getting unwanted messages or calls, feeling pressure to respond, and cyberbullying among others.

According to a recent poll from the charity Parentkind, over four in five, or 83 per cent, parents believed smartphones were “harmful” to children and young people. Moreover, 58 per cent of parents said the UK government should ban smartphones for children under 16 years, reported Sky News.

Speaking to inews.co.uk, Dr Emma L Briant, Associate Professor of News and Political Communication at Melbourne’s Monash University in Australia, reacted to the age policy change in Europe and said, “Kids already find ways to get around age restrictions but this sends a deeply unhealthy message that the app is okay for a younger audience.”

She also flagged that WhatsApp’s features like disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption evoke a sense of privacy and “encourage over-sharing of intimate photos”.

“While Meta encourages parental controls and for parents to talk to and educate their kids, kids of that age experience extreme social pressures already, and even if your kid is emotionally mature enough not to do this, they may be added to groups with other who are not,” Dr Briant added.

Esther Ghey, whose teenage daughter Brianna Ghey was killed, has been campaigning for age restrictions on the usage of smartphones and stricter control on access to social media platforms.

The UK government is mulling proposals to ban the sale of mobile phones to people under 16, as per The Evening Standard.

Last year, Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, caused an uproar when it tried to lower the minimum age for its virtual reality app from 13 to 10 years old in the United States despite pushback from lawmakers.

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Europe and US need each other, says Stoltenberg  

Lacking air superiority and faced with formidable Russian defences, Ukraine’s counter-offensive ground to a halt last year and is now at risk of being outgunned on the front line in the east…reports Asian Lite News

Europe and the US need each other and are “stronger together”, the secretary-general of Nato has said. Jens Stoltenberg was speaking at a ceremony marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.

While the US provided Europe with security, he said it also needed the militaries, intelligence and diplomatic leverage of its European allies.

“I don’t believe in America alone just as I don’t believe in Europe alone,” Stoltenberg said. “I believe in America and Europe together in Nato, because we are stronger and safer together.”

The Nato chief’s remarks came as the alliance considered a €100bn (£86bn) five-year fund to provide long-term military support for Ukraine, so aid to Kyiv is not jeopardised by political changes either in the US or other Nato states.

A US package worth $60bn (£47bn) has been stalled in Congress for months because of resistance from Republican lawmakers, as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has spoken of ending the war “in one day”.

During his speech, Stoltenberg said Nato must be “doing something right”, as it had grown from 12 countries at its inception to 32. Its newest members Sweden and Finland abandoned their neutrality and joined the alliance as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to the speech that relations between Russia and Nato had “slid to the level of direct confrontation” as the alliance was already “involved” in the conflict around Ukraine.

Although Nato is a defensive alliance Peskov alleged it “was conceived, configured, created and controlled by the US as a tool of confrontation” and was now a “destabilising element”.

The 32-member alliance has agreed to initiate planning for long-term military support for Ukraine.

Several countries have only backed the initiative in theory. Hungary, which has kept close ties with Russia, has warned it will not back “any Nato proposals proposals that might draw the alliance closer to war or shift it from a defensive to an offensive coalition”.

The Hungarian government has long sought to distance itself from international initiatives to fund Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and for a period blocked a EU plan to provide a €50bn (£43bn) aid package for Ukraine.

Stoltenberg acknowledged the framework of support was yet to be decided, but said Nato foreign ministers had agreed on the principle: “Make no mistake, Ukraine can rely on Nato support now and for the long haul.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters support for Ukraine within the alliance is “rock solid” and that he believes Ukraine will eventually become a member of Nato, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters at Nato headquarters that while he did not want to “spoil [Nato]’s birthday party”, his country needed help in improving its air defences – specifically Patriot missiles.

“Saving Ukrainian lives, saving the Ukrainian economy and saving Ukrainian cities depends on the availability of Patriots and other air defence systems,” Kuleba said.

Lacking air superiority and faced with formidable Russian defences, Ukraine’s counter-offensive ground to a halt last year and is now at risk of being outgunned on the front line in the east.

The US has given Ukraine more financial aid than any other Nato state- more than $44bn (£34bn) since the 2022 invasion, according to the White House in December. However, its aid has now become caught up in a political row months before the presidential election.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has often criticised the level of spending. He has also long complained that the US has shouldered a greater financial burden than the rest of the alliance.

Fewer than two-thirds of Nato members are on course to reach their 2% funding goal.

Highlighting the importance of Nato’s European allies to the US, Stoltenberg noted it was America’s allies that came to its help after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. That was the only occasion that a key principle of the alliance has been invoked, in which an attack on one ally is seen as an attack on all.

Nato allies closest to Russia have stepped up efforts to boost their armed forces.

Norway is increasing its number of conscripted soldiers, while Denmark says it intends to extend conscription to women and increase the duration of service. Latvia and Sweden recently restarted military service, while Lithuania brought it back after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Norway is increasing the number of conscripted soldiers, while Denmark says it intends to extend conscription to women and increase the duration of service. Latvia and Sweden recently restarted military service, while Lithuania brought it back after Russ

ALSO READ-Cameron calls for increased NATO spending amid Ukraine conflict

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Bulgaria, Romania take first steps into Europe’s visa-free zone

EU flags are seen outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2023.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)

Despite the partial membership, the lifting of controls at the two countries’ air and sea borders is of significant symbolic value….reports Asian Lite News

Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe’s vast Schengen area of free movement on Sunday, opening up travel by air and sea without border checks after a 13-year wait.

A veto by Austria, however, means the new status will not apply to land routes, after Vienna expressed concerns over a potential influx of asylum seekers.

Despite the partial membership, the lifting of controls at the two countries’ air and sea borders is of significant symbolic value.

Admission to Schengen is an “important milestone” for Bulgaria and Romania, symbolizing a “question of dignity, of belonging to the European Union,” according to foreign policy analyst Stefan Popescu.

Ivan Petrov, a 35-year-old Bulgarian marketing executive who lives in France, said he was enthusiastic about less stressful traveling and the time he would be able to save.

“This is a great success for both countries, and a historic moment for the Schengen area — the largest area of free movement in the world,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement Saturday.

“Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens.”

With Bulgaria and Romania arriving joining Sunday, the Schengen zone will comprise 29 members — 25 of the 27 European Union member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Romania’s government said Schengen rules would apply to four sea ports and 17 airports, with the country’s Otopeni airport near the capital Bucharest serving as the biggest hub for Schengen flights.

More staff including border police and immigration officers will be deployed to airports to “support passengers and detect those who want to take advantage to leave Romania illegally,” it added.

Random checks will also be carried out to catch people with false documents and to combat human trafficking.

Bulgaria and Romania both hope to fully integrate into Schengen by the end of the year, but Austria has so far relented only on air and sea routes.

Croatia, which joined the EU after Romania and Bulgaria, beat them to becoming Schengen’s 27th member in January 2023.

Created in 1985, the Schengen area allows more than 400 million people to travel freely without internal border controls.

ALSO READ: Labour losing members over Gaza stance

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PM Modi Congratulates Belgian PM on Nuclear Summit, Discusses Bilateral Ties

Prime Minister Modi and his Belgian counterpart reviewed the “excellent relations” between India and Belgium and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral partnership in diverse sectors….reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties while congratulating him on the successful hosting of the First Nuclear Energy Summit.

In a telephone conversation, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to further bolster the India–EU Strategic Partnership under the ongoing Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“Spoke to Belgium PM @alexanderdecroo. Congratulated him on the success of the First Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels. Exchanged views on strengthening bilateral ties; advancing India-EU Partnership under Belgian Presidency; and cooperation on regional and global issues,” Prime Minister Modi wrote in a post on X on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Modi and his Belgian counterpart reviewed the “excellent relations” between India and Belgium and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral partnership in diverse sectors.

These included trade, investment, clean technologies, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, green hydrogen, IT, defence, and ports, among others.

They agreed upon the need to enhance cooperation and support for the early restoration of peace and security in the West Asia region and the Russia-Ukraine war, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Exchanging views on regional and global developments, the two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

The first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit, held in Brussels last week, was jointly organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium.

For the summit, global leaders came together to reaffirm their commitment to nuclear energy as a way to reduce carbon emissions and meet development goals.

In a statement delivered at the summit, India said that as a responsible nuclear power with advanced technology, it remains committed to expanding peaceful applications of nuclear technology, both in the power and non-power sectors, while ensuring the security of nuclear and radiological materials.

“India has a robust nuclear safety culture and impeccable safety record. India will continue to support the Agency in its efforts to provide a robust, sustainable and visible global nuclear safety and security framework,” Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, said.

“Our aim is for nuclear energy to have significant share in electricity mix of India by the year 2047 when India celebrates 100 years of independence.”

Mohanty added that as a medium-term target, India aims to achieve tripling nuclear power generation capacity by 2030 from around 7.5 GW at present.

Speaking of India’s three-stage nuclear power programme, India in a statement at the summit said that the country is committed to full international civil nuclear cooperation for the development needs of the nation, and is engaged in discussions with foreign companies to further expand the nuclear energy programme

ALSO READ: India Backs Philippines, Strong Protest on South China Sea

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‘To have peace, Europe must prepare for war’

Michel urged EU countries to ensure Ukraine received what it needed on the battlefield — including by spending EU money on military equipment, and using windfall profits from Russia’s immobilized assets to purchase arms for Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News

Europe must strengthen its defense capabilities and shift to a “war economy” mode in response to the threat posed by Russia, European Council President Charles Michel said on Monday.

In an op-ed published in European newspapers and the Euractiv website, Michel — who will chair a meeting of EU leaders on Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine — said Europe needed to take responsibility for its own security and not rely heavily on the support of countries such as the US

“If we do not get the EU’s response right and do not give Ukraine enough support to stop Russia, we are next. We must therefore be defense-ready and shift to a ‘war economy’ mode,” Michel said.

“If we want peace, we must prepare for war,” he said.

Michel said while Europe had made strides since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine — including by increasing military manufacturing capacity by 50 percent — far more was needed and, for decades, Europe had not invested enough in its security and defense.

Michel urged EU countries to ensure Ukraine received what it needed on the battlefield — including by spending EU money on military equipment, and using windfall profits from Russia’s immobilized assets to purchase arms for Ukraine.

He urged countries to facilitate investments in defense — including by considering changing the mandate of the EU lending arm, the European Investment Bank, to allow it to support Europe’s defense industry.

EU countries approved an agreement on Monday to increase the EU’s support for Ukraine’s armed forces by 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) — amid warnings that Kyiv’s forces need more resources to hold the line against a larger Russian army as a $60 billion US aid package for Ukraine is being held up by Congress.

ALSO READ-India Inks FTA with European Free Trade Association

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EU fights anti-Ukraine propaganda ahead of vote

Another theme with particular potency in countries closest to the conflict is that refugees receive higher state benefits than locals….reports Asian Lite News

As the European parliamentary elections in June move ever closer, experts warn that pro-Russian players are flooding social media with false claims about the war in Ukraine to boost support for far-right and nationalist parties.

Pro-Russian accounts have been pumping out posts on Facebook, X and TikTok that depict Ukrainian refugees as violent criminals or claim that Kyiv’s government officials siphon off financial aid sent by the West to buy luxury yachts and villas for themselves.

Another theme with particular potency in countries closest to the conflict is that refugees receive higher state benefits than locals.

The aim of such propaganda is to weaken the EU’s resolve and benefit anti-immigration parties like Germany’s AfD, France’s National Rally or the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, said Jakub Kalensky, an analyst at the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) in Helsinki, Finland.

Such disinformation will “definitely play a role” in the June 6-9 vote, when more than 400 million Europeans choose a new five-year parliament, he said.

“When you exaggerate the risk of Ukrainian immigrants, you boost anti-immigration parties,” Kalensky said.

“I’m convinced that if it weren’t for the Russian propaganda, movements led by leaders like Marine Le Pen (in France), Geert Wilders (in the Netherlands) or Robert Fico (in Slovakia) would have significantly lower election results.”

Dietmar Pichler, disinformation analyst at the Center for Digital Media Literacy in Vienna, Austria, believes that anti-Ukraine disinformation is likely to intensify ahead of the June vote as Russia tries to promote Kremlin-friendly European parties.

He has identified two main topics that have already surfaced in EU campaigns — the sanctions against Russia and financial aid to Ukraine.

“Actors aiming to halt this support for Ukraine are employing disinformation and Russian propaganda narratives to ‘justify’ this anti-Ukrainian position,” Pichler told AFP.

But pro-Russian narratives also affect the policies of mainstream parties, sometimes silencing those who might otherwise throw their support behind Ukraine, according to the analyst.

“Some politicians are now afraid to address topics like Ukraine or Russia altogether because they fear attacks by Russian trolls, bots, and pro-Russian actors on the domestic level,” he said.

The pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign may find particularly fertile ground in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, whose governments actively stoke anti-immigration sentiment and urge Brussels to make peace with Russia, according to Kalensky.

On the second anniversary of the Russian invasion on February 24, Slovak premier Fico — who has repeatedly compared Ukrainians to Nazis, echoing Moscow’s justification for the assault — accused the EU of “hating the Russian Federation” and urged it to “come up with a peace plan for both countries.”

Hungarian state media often suggest that the Ukraine conflict could lead to World War III or make unsubstantiated claims about the forcible recruitment of Ukrainian men for the battlefield.

Even Kyiv’s staunchest allies, such as Poland, are not immune to the propaganda flooding the Internet since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Angry Polish farmers have protested about cheaper Ukrainian grain imports and claims are rife on Polish social media that refugees flood the labor markets, undercut wages, or receive welfare payouts that locals can only dream about.

“The message is ‘this is the Ukrainian gratitude for your help’, ‘they are using us’ and ‘they don’t respect us’,” said Andrzej Kozlowski, cybersecurity and disinformation expert at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation in Warsaw, Poland.

Farmers’ protests across Europe in early 2024 have been weaponized by Russian propagandists and far-right parties in many European countries.

These protests “have become a top priority for the Russian disinformation machine” ahead of upcoming elections in Poland in April and the EU vote in June, Kozlowski told AFP.

According to an Ipsos poll from February 2024, the far-right Confederation — the only party in the Polish parliament not to unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion — is gaining support the fastest and could get 12 percent at local elections on April 7.

“At the beginning, we were laughing at Russian disinformation, but statistics show that support for Ukrainian refugees and immigrants in Poland is getting lower, and so is support for sending ammunition and weapons to Ukraine,” Kozlowski said.

Hybrid CoE’s Kalensky believes the biggest challenge for Europe will be to remain united and resist the flood of disinformation.

“The Russians are experts at playing the long game,” Kalensky said. “They know that if they repeat a lie 100 times it will eventually become the truth.”

ALSO READ: Ukraine should negotiate to end Russia war, says Pope

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India Inks FTA with European Free Trade Association

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal co-chaired the meeting on the India-EFTA trade agreement in the national capital on Sunday….reports Asian Lite News

India signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA) bloc, on Sunday.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal co-chaired the meeting on the India-EFTA trade agreement in the national capital on Sunday.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organisation of four countries–Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland–that aims to promote free trade and economic integration.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson, and Liechtenstein, Dominique Hasler, arrived in the national capital for the signing of Trade and Economic Participation Agreement (TEPA).

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal posted about her arrival sayng that the visit by the Liechtenstein minister will boost economic and commercial partnership between the two countries.

He added that Benediktsson’s visit would further strengthen India-Iceland ties, including in spheres of trade and investment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the negotiators and signatories involved in the signing of the Trade and Economic Participation Agreement (TEPA).

“May this agreement mark the beginning of a new chapter in the journey of our nations toward a more prosperous future for us all,” PM Modi said in a letter.

EFTA and India began negotiating a free trade agreement 15 years ago and the deal was eventually closed after 20 rounds of negotiations.

Over the past few months, India and EFTA have significantly intensified their engagement, highlighting the commitment of both parties to achieving an early conclusion to the TEPA negotiations. (ANI)

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Ukraine Urges Europe to Suspend Ammunition Exports

Canada has signalled that it is ready to help Czechia with the plan, but details of the cooperation are still being established, according to CBC News on February 22. Canada may contribute up to $22 million, CBC News said…reports Asian Lite News

Europe should suspend ammunition exports to third countries other than Ukraine in light of the shortages faced by the Ukrainian military, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with a german media portal published on Monday, media reported.

Kiev is being confronted with critical shortages of ammunition, as $61 billion in funding from the US remains stuck in Congress, causing defence aid deliveries to run dry, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Reports suggest Ukraine could face a catastrophic shortage of ammunition and air defences within weeks.

“All contracts for the export of ammunition produced in Europe to third countries must be put on hold, and all such ammunition should be sent to Ukraine,” Kuleba told the media portal.

“Every cartridge produced in Europe should serve the purpose of defending Europe.”

Ukraine’s European allies are aware of the lack of ammunition and have admitted they were “too late” in deciding to “ramp up their own production, sign long-term contracts, and put new production lines into operation,” according to Kuleba.

“Unfortunately, we are now paying for these mistakes.”

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on February 19 following a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels that he urged member states to procure ammunition for Ukraine outside the bloc if this source of supply is “better, cheaper and quicker”.

Borrell added that the European defence industry claims to be capable of increasing ammunition production, The Kyiv Independent reported.

The Ministers discussed how to increase the EU’s provision of shells to Ukraine through bilateral and European frameworks, according to Borrell.

Earlier in February, Czechia began to push a plan to jointly finance the purchase of 800,000 artillery shells outside the bloc. Prague has suggested that Europe could turn to arms companies in South Korea, Turkey or South Africa, according to US media portal Politico.

Canada has signalled that it is ready to help Czechia with the plan, but details of the cooperation are still being established, according to CBC News on February 22. Canada may contribute up to $22 million, CBC News said.

Plans to buy ammunition from outside the bloc face opposition from France, Greece and Cyprus. While France wants to boost its domestic defence industry, Greece and Cyprus do not wish to buy arms from Turkish producers, given their tense relations with Ankara.

Denmark responded to Kiev’s calls for help by deciding to donate all the artillery rounds from its stockpiles to Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent reported.

“If you ask Ukrainians, they are asking us for ammunition now, artillery now. From the Danish side, we decided to donate our entire artillery,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the Munich Security Conference on February 17.

Ukraine’s withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on February 17 demonstrated Ukraine’s need for more artillery shells, as well as air defence systems, long-range weapons and fortifications, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said.

Umerov had said earlier in February that Ukraine was unable to fire more than 2,000 shells per day, around a third of Russia’s average daily shell usage.

Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported on February 13 that as well as producing new shells, Russia refurbishes Soviet stocks of artillery ammunition, allowing it to produce as many as four million units in 2023.

“It is almost certain that Western ammunition deliveries to Ukraine in 2024 will not be able to keep pace,” and the gap “in available artillery ammunition between Ukraine and Russia is expected to widen even more in 2024,” the report said.

The EU aims to deliver more than one million shells to Ukraine by the end of 2024.

ALSO READ-US, EU Sanctions Extend to China Firms Supporting Ukraine War

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NATO chief warns against dividing US and Europe  

France has traditionally seen itself as a counterweight to U.S. influence in NATO. It does not participate in NATO’s nuclear planning group…reports Asian Lite News

The head of NATO warned member countries on Thursday against allowing a wedge to be driven between the United States and Europe, as concern grows about Washington’s commitment to its allies should Donald Trump return to office.

Faced with a war in Ukraine that is draining military and financial resources, and with a U.S. package of support held up by infighting in Congress, European leaders and senior officials have warned that Europe must invest more in its armies and new technologies and ramp up weapons production.

“I welcome that the European allies are investing more in defense, and NATO has called for that for many, many years,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters, where he was chairing a meeting of the organization’s defense ministers.

“But that’s not an alternative to NATO. That is actually a way to strength NATO. And we should not pursue any path that indicates that we are trying to divide Europe from North America,” he said.

Talk has even surfaced in recent weeks about Europe developing a nuclear umbrella. France and the United Kingdom – a staunch U.S. ally that sees NATO as the world’s key security organization – are Europe’s only nuclear powers.

France has traditionally seen itself as a counterweight to U.S. influence in NATO. It does not participate in NATO’s nuclear planning group.

“NATO has a nuclear deterrent, and this has worked for decades,” Stoltenberg said. “We should not do anything to undermine that. That will only create more uncertainty and more room for miscalculation and misunderstanding.”

President Emmanuel Macron insists that France must maintain its independence when it comes to the possible use of nuclear weapons. He said in December, though, that France has a “very special responsibility” as a nuclear power in Europe and “stands by” its allies and European partners.

Talk of a European nuclear umbrella has come from, among others, German members of the European Parliament. But Chancellor OIaf Scholz and other top security policy officials believe there is no alternative to NATO’s nuclear umbrella.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius dismissed the debate about European nuclear weapons, saying that it’s a “complex discussion” that shouldn’t be embarked on because of remarks from an aspiring candidate who’s in election campaign mode.

On Saturday, former President Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party’s nomination this year, said he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO members that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of GDP to defense.

ALSO READ-Putin Plans to Double Troops Along NATO Border Post-Ukraine