EU tries to figure out if it can continue to support Ukraine without Trump - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
The European Union is discussing the possibility of continuing to support Ukraine in the event of a Trump administration. The EU has already provided €118 billion in aid, but is critically dependent on American military resources.
The European Union is considering possible scenarios for supporting Ukraine against the backdrop of Donald Trump's victory, as he promised to quickly end hostilities in Ukraine, but was ambiguous about supporting Kyiv. Bloomberg writes about it, UNN reports.
Details
The publication writes that the leaders of the European Union are trying to figure out whether they can continue military operations if Donald Trump decides to stop US support.
During a meeting in Budapest on Thursday, officials discussed whether the bloc would be willing to pay for the war. A big concern is that Trump will try to shift the financial burden to Europe, although nothing in the initial conversations suggests a significant change in tactics
It is noted that during the election campaign, Trump promised that he would quickly end hostilities in Ukraine, but was ambiguous about his support for Kyiv.
The publication's interlocutors note that Europe should wait until after Trump's inauguration in January to find out about his intentions for Ukraine, and the European Commission should come up with proposals on how the bloc will respond to US aid in a cut-off.
The publication also cites the Kiel Institute for the World Economy as saying that the EU has been the largest provider of aid to Ukraine, allocating 118 billion euros since the beginning of the conflict. The United States has provided a total of €85 billion, although this year the flow of money has decreased, allocating only €17 billion. The EU has provided almost twice as much.
It is emphasized that the real problem was not so much the money itself, but the available military resources, which came mainly from the United States. The United States is an important source of some of the most powerful weapons, such as the F-16 and ATACMS. US production facilities are also important for maintaining the supply of 155mm shells, which are the backbone of Ukraine's defense operations.
Recall
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Europe will not be able to finance the defense of Ukraine from Russian invasion on its own if the United States withdraws its support under the next Donald Trump presidency.
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