Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530423
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 DECEMBER 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A majority of Maltese people (52%) support Ukraine's bid to join the European Union but support for funding the pur- chase of weapons so Ukraine can defend itself from Rus- sia's aggression has fallen to a historic low of 46%, down 2 points from April. The per- centage opposed to EU mili- tary assistance has remained stable since April at 50%. This emerged from a recently published Eurobarometer sur- vey held between October and November. Maltese support for EU mil- itary assistance to Ukraine had already fallen to 51% in Autumn last year, down from 74% in May 2022, just weeks after the Russian invasion. But support for economic sanctions against Russia (65%) and financial aid to Ukraine (66%) remain high. Moreo- ver, most Maltese (73%) have a negative view of Russia of which only 19% hold a positive view. Moreover, a staggering 63% of Maltese regard Russia's in- vasion of Ukraine as threat to the security of their own coun- try. The survey also shows wide- spread support for the Maltese government's response to the Russian invasion which was aligned with that of the EU (69%) while 52% are satisfied with the EU's response to the invasion. Overall, in the EU as a whole 58% support the EU policy of financing the delivery of weap- ons to Ukraine. But support ranges from 92% in Sweden to just 23% in Cyprus. Malta is one of seven member states where a majority opposes this policy. The survey also shows that 52% of Maltese support the EU decision of granting candidate status to Ukraine. Support for EU membership for Ukraine ranges from 83% in Sweden to 34% in the Czech Republic. In the EU as a whole 60% support accepting Ukraine as a candi- date to join the block. And while the Maltese are increasingly sceptical on de- livering weapons to Ukraine, they still favour enhanced mil- itary cooperation between the member states. In fact 55% of Maltese agree that the EU needs to reinforce its capaci- ty to produce military equip- ment. 57% of Maltese also support a common defense and security policy involving all EU Member States, even if support for such a policy has dropped by 11 points since Spring. This means that sup- port for a common defense policy in Malta is now the lowest in the European Un- ion. The vast majority (68%) of Maltese also consider the European Union as "a place of stability in a troubled world." Majority oppose EU arming Ukraine but back membership bid 52% of Maltese support Ukraine's EU membership bid but Maltese approval for EU military aid to the invaded country has fallen to 46%. ELLIOT Paul Busuttil, who had been sentenced to a 42-year prison term and fined €70,000 after pleading guilty to the murder of Mario Farru- gia and the attempted murder of Emil Vassilev Marinov, has had his prison time reduced by seven years. Busuttil had initially been sentenced to a prison term of 42 years, notwithstand- ing an agreement between the prosecution and defence to recommend a 35-year term. Indeed, Madame Jus- tice Consuelo Scerri Herrera noted that she was not bound by such a plea deal and could impose a lengthier sentence. However, following an ap- peal, the Court of Appeal ordered the revision of the sentence. The prosecution and de- fence reaffirmed that Busut- til would plead guilty once more, as envisaged by the original agreement. Busuttil was subsequently sentenced to a 35-year imprisonment term. Additionally, Busuttil was found guilty of breaching conditions handed down on two separate occasions. This led to the confiscation of €5,000 and the forfeiture of two personal guarantees, each worth €10,000. Busuttil was also prohibited from approaching Marinov for a year. The case was presided over by Judge Neville Camilleri. Busuttil was represented by lawyers Edward Gatt and Shaun Zammit. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri represent- ed the Farrugia family, while lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Kris Busietta represented Marinov. Murderer has sentence reduced from 42 years to 35 years