EU agrees to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to Ukraine

In an unprecedented move the European Union has for the first time agreed to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine. The statement also included other remarkable and unprecedented decision to ban state-owned media companies Russia Today and Sputnik and any of their subsidiaries. 

The announcement was made this evening ahead of the fourth Council meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers, by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the EU High Representative Josep Borrell. 

Closure of EU airspace

The EU will also be shutting down the EU airspace for Russians. The Commission is proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will not be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU.

The decision will apply to any plane owned, chartered or otherwise controlled by a Russian legal or natural person.

“So let me be very clear,” said von der Leyen. “Our airspace will be closed to every Russian plane – and that includes the private jets of oligarchs.”

Closure of ‘Kremlin’s media machine’

In another unprecedented step, the EU will ban what it described as the Kremlin's media machine. Von der Leyen said that state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war and to sow division in the EU.

The EU will also develop tools to ban toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe.

Belarus

The EU is also planning to further punish Lukashenko's regime for its complicity in the invasion of Ukraine. This will include restrictive measures on important sectors (mineral fuels , tobacco, wood and timber, cement, iron and steel) and a similar ban on dual-use goods as that introduced for Russia. This is also necessary to avoid the risk of Russian circumventing its own export ban by going through its ally Belarus.

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