Boosting military spending will not end the war between Ukraine and Russia, Robert Abela said on Thursday, as he urged the EU to adopt Malta's "peace first" principle.
The prime minister was speaking ahead of an EU Council special meeting to discuss Europe’s support for Ukraine and an €800 billion plan to boost the EU's defence industry.
Speaking to journalists before the summit, Abela was asked whether Malta's hard stance on neutrality is coming across as insensitive to Russia's aggression.
“Let’s be honest, what happened in the last three years did not work, and till today, tensions have escalated,” Abela said.
An increase in military funding “will possibly escalate tensions," Abela said, adding: “I categorically exclude that our country will be participating... in spending money on weapons."
Instead, Abela said he is asking the EU to assume Malta's "peace first" principle to try to put an end to the war.
“I am not asking Ukraine to renounce itself and declare a defeat, but we cannot say that Ukraine should win at all costs either,” Abela said.
The prime minister denied that Malta's neutral approach would isolate it from other EU countries, insisting that the EU respects Malta's neutral position.
Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said that Malta offered itself as a mediator for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, after Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s public row at the White House.
Asked about Malta's offer, Abela said he has not received any updates from other countries about this.
“It would be a mistake to take a hard stance approach against the United States. I don’t believe this is a war that Europe can fight alone, unless it is going to cut down on funds in other sectors," Abela said.
Abela pledged to increase defence spending in Malta earlier this month but on Thursday clarified that his government will not be using these funds to buy lethal weapons.
He said the country would invest to thwart any potential attacks on its cybersecurity or energy infrastructure, for example.