Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Friday that, as a Member State, Malta will be contributing to the European Peace Facility for Ukraine, but insisted that this money should be used in a way that respects the Maltese constitution and should not be used to buy armaments.

Abela was speaking at an EU Summit in Versailles, France, which focused mainly on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

During the meeting leaders agreed to beef up the EPF by another half billion euro.

Abela called for a ceasefire and a peaceful solution. The EU leaders also agreed to request an opinion from the European Commission regarding Ukraine’s membership. Other topics discussed at the summit included energy and the economy.

Here Abela emphasised on the need for investment in energy infrastructure, including gas infrastructure. “We must ensure that the EU’s dependency on outside countries, includng Russia, decreases,” he said, calling for more EU autonomy on the matter.

It is important that Malta and Cyprus do not remain detached from the European gas system, Abela said.