This means doubling the existing envelope. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said he was “confident” that the leaders of 27 countries would “support” the idea.
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Published on 11/03/2022 12:50 Updated on 11/03/2022 13:02
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The European Union wants to increase military assistance to Ukraine. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, proposed on Friday, March 11, to double European funding for arming Ukraine during the summit of EU heads of state and government in Versailles. Josep Borrell announced that he “made an offer to double the contribution [de l’UE] another 500 million euros for armaments in support of the Ukrainian army.” “I’m sure management will support her,” he commented.
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What is the origin of this money? Funding comes from the European Peace Fund. This is a fund with 5 billion euros. It is replenished by the Member States outside the Community budget. The decision to use the funding is taken unanimously, but governments have the option to abstain so as not to block the decision.
This option, offered to countries that cannot agree to supply weapons to a warring country, freed up an initial 500 million euro package at the end of February, unprecedented in European history, for military support. The money from the European Peace Fund is being used to reimburse the supply of arms withdrawn by Member States from their stockpiles.
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“The materials must appear on the list of weapons requested by Ukraine, and the reimbursement is retroactive until January 1, 2022,” the European official explained. The Ukrainian government has put forward very specific requirements for the technology that fighters can use, including air defense systems and anti-tank weapons, which have been successfully used to stop the advance of Russian troops and deprive them of air supremacy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Thursday that the shipments were “dangerous.” “Those who arm Ukraine, of course, must understand that they will be responsible for their actions,” the head of Russian diplomacy said.
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