EU member states are about to conclude an agreement on a €5-billion military aid fund for Ukraine, while the United States has signed a temporary military aid package to Kyiv worth $300 million on 12 March, according to Euractiv.
The European Union has been negotiating for months to reform the European Peace Facility (EPF), which provides EU members with reimbursement for sending arms to third countries.
Last year, EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell proposed to establish a new aid scheme for Kyiv, the Ukraine Assistance Fund, within the EPF, with a budget of up to 5 billion euros a year for the next four years.
Since then, however, EU member states have been embroiled in a debate over reforms and conditions for future aid. France insisted on strict “buy European” arms to be refunded, whereas Germany demanded that bilateral aid should be taken into account when determining how much countries would contribute to the fund.
Several EU diplomats signalled on Tuesday a compromise that allowed some flexibility in “buy European” rules and addressed bilateral aid, but did not allow countries to fully offset such aid with their contributions to the fund.
EU diplomats stated that the agreement on conditions should allow member states to also agree on a first allocation of 5 billion euros. However, they warned that a deal could potentially take more time.
Leaders of the EU are expected to “welcome the [adoption of the] Council Decision regarding a Ukraine Assistance Fund which ensures the continuation of military support for Ukraine under the European Peace Facility” at next week’s summit, according to early draft conclusions.
According to EU calculations, the EPF has already been used to reimburse €6.1bn in military aid to Ukraine. The EU’s probable agreement follows the fact that a $60-billion aid package is being delayed by the US Congress at a critical time for Ukraine’s military efforts.
Washington would send Ukraine a new temporary military aid package worth $300 million, the administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday. The funds came from recent savings on army contracts that allowed the US to raise additional support. The White House announced that the additional US funding would be used for artillery shells and ammunition for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
This ammunition will keep Ukraine’s guns firing for a period, but only a short period. It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs, and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition.
Using the returned funds to replenish reserves opens a narrow window for channelling additional aid from existing reserves as the Biden administration waits for US lawmakers to pass additional funding. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to call a vote on a bill that would provide Ukraine with another $60 billion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Monday that Kyiv had improved its strategic position despite the arms shortage, but suggested that the situation could change again if new supplies did not arrive. He also noted that he did not need French troops in the territory of the military conflict.
