EU will discuss Kallas' updated plan for military aid to Ukraine today after weeks of delays
Kyiv • UNN
EU ministers are seeking to provide Ukraine with 2 million artillery shells worth 5 billion euros. Hungary remains the main obstacle to military aid.
EU foreign ministers are under pressure to make progress on providing military assistance to Ukraine, with a focus on EUR 5 billion for 2 million artillery shells this year, during today's EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, while Hungary is being called a key obstacle, Euractiv reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to the initial plan, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas hoped to mobilize up to EUR 40 billion in military aid for Ukraine this year to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield and in future peace talks with Russia.
"However, her proposal has stalled for weeks, amid criticism from EU diplomats of the abstract nature of the plan, the method of calculating contributions and the lack of support from mostly Southern European countries," the publication said.
It is expected that "EU foreign ministers will today again discuss Kallas' updated plan, now with a focus on one of its more modest elements, which envisages spending EUR 5 billion on 2 million rounds of large-caliber artillery this year," the publication writes.
According to EU diplomats, part of the ammunition plan is achievable, as pledges already made by several member states will cover the desired volume. Kallas said the desired quantity is available on the market and can be delivered this year.
"Everyone agreed that Ukraine's request for EUR 5 billion worth of ammunition, voiced by Zelenskyy at the EU summit on March 20, should be met quickly," one EU diplomat said after talks between bloc ambassadors on Friday.
An increasing number of EU member states also agree that the initial Kallas plans should be salvaged, the publication indicates.
"There is a clear attempt, supported by half of the member states, to declare that the Kallas 2.0 plan is not dead, remains on the table and is almost ready," the same diplomat said.
"We need more solidarity when it comes to supporting Ukraine, and a key based on GNI (gross national income) is the ultimate tool for this," one EU diplomat said, referring to Kallas' proposal to calculate contributions based on the use of gross national income (GNI) as a key indicator.
Large countries, including France, Italy and Spain, have opposed this part, which would determine contributions based on the "economic weight" of the contributing countries, citing budgetary constraints, the publication writes.
Another EU diplomat, sharing a common view in Brussels, said that without any sign of Russia's willingness to stop its attacks on Ukraine, the EU "cannot simply sit and wait for what will come out of peace talks between the US and Russia." Over the weekend, European leaders condemned Russia's latest deadly attack on the city of Sumy, warning that the strike undermines US-led peace talks.
At the same time, Hungary remains a key obstacle, with EU diplomats describing Budapest's position as "completely out of touch with reality" and focused only on the US peace plan and energy security.
Kyiv's allies in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group last week pledged a record EUR 21 billion in new military assistance to the country, including an additional EUR 11 billion from Germany and GBP 4.5 billion from the UK, as Europeans seek to replace US support, the publication writes.