According to Bloomberg, during the last summit in Brussels, Ukraine's European allies failed to agree on allocating an additional 5 billion euros to it. These funds were supposed to be spent on the purchase of 2 million artillery shells, but Italy and France took a tough stance on this issue.
Points of attention
- Italy and other countries seek clarity on the initiative, while France emphasizes the importance of implementing the EU's share of the 18 billion euros credit package for Kyiv.
- The failure to reach an agreement on the 5 billion euro aid reflects the challenges and complexities in aligning EU member states' positions on supporting Ukraine amidst geopolitical tensions.
Rome and Paris prevented the allocation of funds for Ukraine
As journalists managed to find out, it was France and Italy that refused to make commitments regarding specific financial amounts.
Recently, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, proposed that EU countries provide Ukraine with up to 40 billion euros in military assistance in 2025.
What is important to understand is that this is voluntary assistance, which anyone can provide through monetary contributions or equipment.
Insiders reported that several countries opposed the idea, so the debate on this issue had to be narrowed down.
Meanwhile, Italy and other countries are asking for more technical and financial details and have said the initiative is still in the works. French diplomats said that while they share the goal of the effort, the priority is to implement the EU's share of the 18 billion euros of the Group of Seven credit package for Kyiv.
