Borrell said that he presented “a proposal to double the (current) contribution with an additional €500 million in support of the Ukrainian military”and expressed his trust in which the European leaders “support” the request, the AFP news agency reported.
The money would come from European Peace Support Funda financial instrument endowed with some €5,000 million contributed by the member states of the bloc, which not part of the common budget.
The use of these resources requires the unanimity of the EU countries. However, the countries of the block have the possibility of to refrain in decision-making to avoid blocking aid to Ukrainian forces.
The EU had already approved the use of €500 million to purchase and delivery of lethal material and medical equipment to Ukraine. Russia warned that sending such weapons to Ukraine was a step “dangerous”.
Who send weapons to Ukraine “They must understand that they will be responsible for their actions”said the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov.
At the end of the first day of the summit at the Palace of Versailles, European leaders noted that “Without delay, we will strengthen our ties and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in continuing its European path”. However, in the same meeting they pointed out that Ukraine’s accession to the bloc was not something that could be done immediately.
The process is governed by rules “and it is necessary to respect them”said the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Betelwhile the Dutch premier, Mark Ruttestressed that “there is no quick procedure” of accession, but that the EU does want to work intensively with Ukraine.
Ukraine and the EU signed in 2014 a Cooperation Agreement and, at the moment, all the Europeans offer is a “consolidation” of that understanding.
Kiev filed a formal application for EU membership, but normally that process takes several years of arduous negotiations, sometimes extending to more than a decade. Meanwhile, the meeting of European leaders is focused on the defense reinforcement and the alternatives to reduce its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons.
the ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskycomplained about the EU’s response and urged Brussels to “do more” for Ukraine. “The European Union must do more. It must do more for us”expressed in a video broadcast on Telegram.
Source: Ambito
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