During the meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers on February 24 in Brussels, the European Union High Representative Kaia Kallas will announce a proposal for a large package of military support for Ukraine, which will include, among other things, ammunition and air defense systems.
Points of attention
- The European Union is preparing a substantial military support package for Ukraine, which will include artillery ammunition and air defense systems.
- The exact amounts of military aid will be determined after discussions among EU foreign ministers, with an estimated cost of about 7 billion euros.
- Potential delays from certain EU member states like Hungary and Slovakia might lead to the formation of a 'coalition of the willing' to provide support to Ukraine.
EU to provide Ukraine with large military aid package
This was reported by a senior European official on condition of anonymity, as well as two sources in diplomatic circles in Brussels.
Thus, the details of the military aid package, as well as its cost, will be specified during the meeting of EU foreign ministers on February 24, and further technical negotiations in working groups.
EU High Representative Kaia Kallas will propose a new initiative on Monday to strengthen EU military support for Ukraine in 2025. This issue will be discussed by foreign ministers at the EU Council, and a political decision will be made on the format of support, which will launch the process of developing the technical details of the plan.
He clarified that "this is a powerful package, which will include providing Ukraine with artillery ammunition, air defense systems and missiles for them."
According to him, the new EU initiative will also focus on "training, equipping and restoring the capabilities of Ukrainian brigades, including through collective training."
The specific amounts for which military aid will be allocated will be determined after a discussion of the heads of foreign ministries of the EU states on February 23, but we are talking about billions of euros, the European official noted.
Two EU diplomats in Brussels familiar with the matter, also on condition of anonymity, explained why the specific amounts of funds that will be allocated for military aid to Ukraine have not yet been made public: it all depends on the response of each foreign minister from all 27 EU members on Monday at the EU Council meeting about the readiness or unwillingness of their country to participate in the project.
There is a high probability that Hungary may refuse to participate in the military support project for Ukraine. Slovakia may do the same, although recently at meetings at the ambassadorial level, the Slovaks have maintained a "strategic silence." There are also neutral states, such as Austria or Ireland, which may also refrain from participating.
In this case, the support package for Ukraine will not be created under the "EU umbrella", but as a "coalition of the willing", a single fund to which any EU state will be able to make voluntary contributions in the form of funds or weapons, he said.
The diplomat predicted that the total cost of assistance to Ukraine within the framework of the aforementioned initiative could amount to about 7 billion euros.
A diplomat from another EU state named the amount as 6-10 billion euros.
In general, according to information from European diplomats, the European Union's ambitious goal is to provide Ukraine with more military assistance in 2025 than in 2024 ("about 20 billion euros, while the US provided no more than 15-18 billion").
It is also worth adding that the new initiative is "a forced action by the EU, as existing mechanisms, such as the European Peace Fund, remain blocked" (by Hungary).
