BRUSSELS, January 23. /TASS/. Participants in an informal European Council (EC) summit have serious doubts about the compatibility of the charter of the US-led Board of Peace initiative with the United Nations Charter, EC President Antonio Costa said at a news conference.

"We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the charter of the Board of Peace related to its scope, its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter," Costa said in oral conclusions following the summit as he expressed EC member countries’ readiness to work together with the United States on the implementation of the comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza without actually participating in the board.

Costa noted, however, that "the European Union and the United States have long been partners and allies." "Europe and the United States have a shared interest in the security of the Arctic region, notably working through NATO. The European Union will also play a stronger role in this region," he said.

As for the Greenland issue, Costa stressed that Denmark and Greenland had the full support of the European Union. "Only the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," he emphasized.

Speaking of tariffs, the European Council president pointed out that "yesterday’s announcement that there will be no new US tariffs on Europe is positive." "The imposition of additional tariffs would have been incompatible with the EU-US trade deal. Our focus must now be on moving forward on the implementation of that deal," Costa said.

Weapons for Arctic

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced at the same news conference that the summit had decided to procure Arctic-ready weapons and equipment.

"We have collectively underinvested in the Arctic and Arctic security, so now it’s high time to step up. <...> We believe we should use our defense spending surge on Arctic-ready equipment, a European Ice Breaker, for example," she pointed out.