9 minutes agoEU approves an additional 500m euros for Ukraine
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday for an additional aid to Ukraine of 500m euros, bringing the bloc's support to 2.5 billion euros since Russia attacked Ukraine on 24 February. “Today at the EU foreign ministers meeting, a political agreement for the [...] tranche was reached
“Today at the meeting of EU foreign ministers, a political agreement was reached for the fifth tranche of military aid to Ukraine”, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said through a statement.
The funds will help the EU continue to purchase equipment and supplies to the Ukrainian Army, including weapons, which the bloc has said should be used for defence purposes.
EU regulations prevent the bloc from using its seven-year budget to finance military operations. But the funding mechanism outside the budget, the so-called “European Peace Safety”, which has a 5 billion-euro limit, can be used to provide military assistance.
The EU approved the first tranche of assistance immediately after the launch of Russian aggression, in what was described by EU officials as a crucial moment for the bloc's maturity for military involvement beyond its borders.
While half of the seven-year fund money from the relief mechanism of the situation has already been given to Ukraine in just five months, it is unclear how the EU can continue to finance the purchase of weapons and other equipment for Ukraine if Russian aggression lasts long.
