Billions from relief funds
EU agrees to finance arms for Ukraine
March 13, 2024, 7:40 p.m
Negotiations between EU states on joint military aid for Ukraine are proving difficult, particularly because of demands from Germany and France. After months of discussions, an agreement has now been reached. The step is intended to guarantee arms deliveries worth five billion euros.
After months of discussions, the EU countries have agreed on joint military aid for Ukraine worth five billion euros for 2024. There is a fundamental agreement on this, the Belgian Presidency announced at X after a meeting of the permanent representatives of the member states in Brussels. According to diplomats, bilateral military aid should be counted for the first time at Germany’s insistence. The EU wants to ensure that Ukraine “receives the military equipment it needs for its defense,” explained Belgium, which is leading the Council of Ministers this semester.
The member states therefore agreed on a reform of the so-called European Peace Facility (EPF). This is a pot outside the EU budget through which member states can obtain partial reimbursement for arms deliveries to Ukraine. As the largest economy, Germany finances the fund at 25 percent.
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had originally called for a commitment of 20 billion euros by 2027. That would have meant a new contribution of five billion euros for the federal government. However, in view of tight budgets, Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged that bilateral German military aid to Ukraine worth more than seven billion euros be taken into account this year alone. According to diplomats, this is now fundamentally possible.
France had also demanded that the pot only be used to finance weapons made in Europe. Other countries consider this unrealistic. As a compromise, according to information from Brussels, weapons from European defense companies should now have priority. When capacity is exhausted, purchases are possible in third countries such as the USA or South Korea.
The EU foreign ministers are expected to formally seal the agreement in Brussels on Monday. The heads of state and government, who will meet from Thursday next week, want to welcome the decision at their summit, as can be seen from the draft summit declaration. At the beginning of February they had already agreed on further economic aid for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros.