Brussels is considering allowing neutral countries to opt out of its proposal to use the proceeds of Russia's frozen assets to buy weapons for Ukraine, Politico reports, citing six EU diplomats, UNN writes.
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Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, at which the Belgian presidency of the EU Council hopes to reach an agreement to unblock funding for Ukraine, a new text has reportedly been circulated "suggesting that capitals opposed to military aid could limit themselves to providing humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.
"This is a last-ditch effort to win over non-NATO EU countries such as Austria, Malta, Cyprus and Ireland, which have been demanding exemptions from buying munitions. Other vocal critics of the EU's military strategy in Ukraine, such as Hungary and Slovakia, also support this caveat," the publication says.
But, as the newspaper reports, "this will not dispel all fears." "According to an EU diplomat, EU countries that are also members of the G7 - Germany, France and Italy - are cautious about the proposal because of legal and financial risks, and are not expected to support the deal on Wednesday," the newspaper notes.