EU support for Ukraine

Romania was represented at the General Affairs Council in Brussels, by its Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu

Corina Cristea, 18.03.2025, 13:50

A new initiative regarding the provision of military aid to Ukraine, worth tens of billions of euros, was analyzed on Monday, by the EU foreign ministers who got together in Brussels, at the General Affairs Council. According to the proposal made by the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, the member states would contribute according to their economic strength, and, in order to prevent a possible veto from certain governments, participation in this initiative is on a voluntary basis, specifies a text of the EU diplomatic corps, quoted by dpa.

The idea of supplementing military aid to Ukraine is more than three weeks old, and the figure has increased along the way, now reaching approximately 40 billion euros for this year. In addition to the financial promises, the initiative also sets a target for the participating countries, to deliver two million units of artillery ammunition to Kyiv, this year. EU officials say that it is vital that Ukraine should be further supported on the battlefield, given the uncertainty over the future of US support under Donald Trump. At the same time, member states want to provide this help as quickly as possible, because they are sceptical about Russia’s will to stop the war. The plan would involve doubling the military aid provided to Ukraine by the EU, to support it in the war with Russia. Last year, European aid to Kyiv amounted to about 20 billion euros. But there is no unanimity in the Council.

According to diplomats, this proposal has strong support from countries in northern and eastern Europe, while some countries in the south are more reluctant. Italy and Spain have stated that they are not ready to support the proposal of the EU’s diplomatic chief. The Italian and Spanish foreign ministers said that it was too early for a final position on the proposal, which would need to be discussed in depth and taking into account future developments. France has also raised several questions about the plan, diplomatic sources say. Among the East European countries, Slovakia has signalled that it will not obstruct the plan, but will refuse to contribute, while Hungary, which believes that EU military aid to Ukraine is useless and does nothing more than prolong the war, has ruled out any involvement.
Attending the talks in Brussels, the Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu voiced support for the High Representative’s initiative. After the meeting, Kaja Kallas said that her proposal received “broad political support”, and the talks are now entering into details. The details are to be discussed including at the European Summit on March 20 and 21 in Brussels, where the discussion on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will focus on how to maintain the EU’s multidimensional support for Kyiv, especially military and financial assistance, in the context of the latest developments on the front and taking into account the dynamics in the perspective of peace negotiations. (EE)