EU plant funding arms supplies to Ukraine
Brussels (dpa) – In all likelihood, the EU will finance arms deliveries to Ukraine. As EU officials confirmed on Sunday in Brussels, a corresponding proposal is to be approved by the foreign ministers of the member states at a special meeting in the evening.
The money would therefore come from the so-called “European Peace Facility”. It is a new EU financing instrument that can also be used to strengthen the capabilities of armed forces in partner countries. For the period from 2021 to 2027, the “Peace Facility” is endowed with around five billion euros.
How much money from this amount should be made available for the purchase of weapons and equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces was initially unclear on Sunday afternoon. “Consultations with Member States on this are ongoing,” said an EU official. However, it is to be expected that the EU will make a certain contribution to strengthening the abilities of the people of Ukraine to defend themselves against the Russian attack.
He emphasized that deadly defensive weapons should also be controlled. Member States that do not want to support this directly could use the option of a “constructive abstention”. For example, contributions from these countries could be used solely to fund non-lethal weapons or other equipment. This includes, for example, fuel.