EU Foreign Affairs Council approves €5 billion in military support for Ukraine

18.03.2024 15:48

Ukrinform

At a meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers, which was attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, a final decision was made to allocate an additional €5 billion for military support to Ukraine under the European Peace Fund.

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ukrinform reported.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to his colleagues for this step and thanked the Czech Republic for the timely initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and all EU member states that have already made their contributions to its implementation.

"I urge those who are still considering making contributions to do so as soon as possible. This applies not only to the Czech initiative, but also to several other similar initiatives. Every day matters," Kuleba said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia's threats against NATO and EU members show that the Russian dictator is seeking to expand its aggression. Supporting Ukraine is the only way to prevent these plans.

"The Ukrainian soldier is Europe's only hope for peace. There should be no restrictions or delays in providing the Ukrainian military with everything they need to 'break the back' of the Russian occupation forces on Ukrainian soil," Kuleba emphasized.

The Minister welcomed the initiative of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to use the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine. He believes that the allies should also find the necessary legal grounds and political will to use not only the proceeds but also the assets themselves.

As reported, Ukraine wants to implement two more similar initiatives by the end of the year, in addition to the Czech ammunition supply initiative and is already working with partners to finance them.