BRUSSELS: European Union leaders gathered Thursday to consider new ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine and to discuss the war in Gaza amid deep concern about Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive in the city of Rafah.Ukraine’s munition stocks are desperately low, and Russia has more and better-armed troops. There is also a growing awareness that the EU must provide for its own security, with election campaigning in the U.S. raising questions about Washington’s commitment to its allies.Ahead of the summit in Brussels, EU Council President Charles Michel said the Europeans “face a pivotal moment. Urgency, intensity and unwavering determination are imperative.” New plans are on the table, notably to use the profits from frozen Russian assets to buy Ukraine arms and ammunition.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will join the leaders at the start of their two-day meeting, in part to encourage some member countries to resume funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency, the main provider of aid in Gaza.The agency, known as UNRWA, is reeling from allegations by Israel that 12 of its 13,000 Gaza staff members participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel. The agency fired the employees, but more than a dozen countries suspended funding worth about $450 million, almost half its budget for 2024.Early this month, the European Commission said it would pay 50 million euros ($54 million) to the agency after it agreed to allow EU-appointed experts to audit the way it screens staff to identify extremists. Germany, notably, has not resumed funding.
Source link
