BRUSSELS, Belgium
European Union member states agreed Wednesday to provide Ukraine with an additional €5 billion ($5.5 billion) in military aid.
Belgium, which holds the EU's
rotating presidency, said ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations had agreed
"in principle" on the plan to support arms supplies to Kyiv in
2024.
The contribution of €5 billion
will go on EU-managed fund called the European Peace Facility. The fund
operates as a giant cashback scheme, giving EU members refunds for sending
munitions to other countries.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Dmytro Kuleba called it a "powerful and timely demonstration of
European unity."
The EU has already committed
€6.1 billion from the fund to reimburse part of the cost of arms sent by member
states to Ukraine since the Russian
invasion.
The decision to boost the fund
was delayed for months amid wrangling between states over how it should
operate.
Germany demanded offsetting
bilateral support
for Ukraine against its contribution, while France demanded only
weapons produced in Europe should be reimbursed.
Diplomats have reached a
compromise that allows for some flexibility on "buy European" rules
and considers bilateral aid value in calculating financial contributions of
members.
"The message is clear: we
will support Ukraine with whatever it takes to prevail," EU foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell wroted on X, formerly Twitter.
In February, EU member
states signed
off on a €50 billion ($54 billion) non-military aid package to
support Ukraine's economy through 2027. The funds consist of grants and loans
financed from the EU budget
The boost in military funding
from Europe comes as $60 billion in military aid from the United
States is being blocked by Congressional deadlock.
The EU decision on Wednesday
comes a day after the White House announced a fresh $300
million weapons package for Ukraine as a stopgap measure on
Tuesday.
Some of the money in the
European Peace Facility will be used to help finance a Czech initiative to buy
hundreds of thousands of desperately
needed artillery shells from countries outside Europe.
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