EU foreign ministers approve €5 billion for military aid to Ukraine

"The meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, attended by the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, adopted a final decision to allocate an additional 5 billion euros for military support to Ukraine under the European Peace Fund. The minister expressed gratitude to his colleagues for this step," the ministry said.

During the meeting, Kuleba called on European partners to adopt all necessary decisions as quickly as possible to increase and accelerate the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian forces and develop the defense industries of the EU and Ukraine.

He also thanked Czechia for its timely initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine, and all EU member states that have already made their contributions to its implementation.

"I call on those still considering contributions to make them as soon as possible. This applies not only to the Czech initiative but also to several other similar initiatives. Every day matters," the minister noted.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia's threats against NATO and EU members indicate that the Russian dictator seeks to expand aggression. Support for Ukraine is the only way to thwart these plans.

Kuleba also stated that Ukrainian soldiers are currently the only line of European defense against aggressive Russian forces, which seek to destroy Europe and the normal lives of millions of Europeans.

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

Kuleba also emphasized the need to increase sanctions pressure against the aggressor state, synchronize sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and close all loopholes for the export of dual-use goods to Russia, which it uses for weapon production.

The minister welcomed the initiative of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine. He believes that allies should also find the necessary legal grounds and political will to use the proceeds and the assets themselves.

EU assistance to Ukraine

Recall that on March 13, EU ambassadors approved an increase in military aid to Ukraine by 5 billion euros.

Also, in early May 2023, the EU Council decided to assist Ukraine with one billion euros for joint purchases of ammunition and missiles.

By March 2024, European countries planned to provide Ukraine with the promised one million shells. However, EU countries could not fulfill the plan on time and only collected 600,000 rounds for Ukraine.

At the same time, EU countries stated that they are jointly ready to produce up to 2 million artillery shells annually for Ukraine from 2025.