The countries of the European Union are actively working on a new plan aimed at allocating significant amounts of military assistance for Ukraine, trying to update an important program of assistance. This step is a reaction to blocking 50 billion euros that are taking place in the EU. A number of European states have already increased its bilateral military assistance to Ukraine, while the US Congress has not yet adopted a bill on assistance in Kiev.
The European Union proposal provides for the return of more than 20 billion euros to countries in exchange for their assistance to Ukraine. This decision is made after a week debate between the EU and its members.
To overcome the difficulties in the implementation of the plan, the European Union proposes the creation of a specialized military fund for Ukraine, which will receive about 6.5 billion euros of euros of assets of the European Peace and will receive up to 5 billion euros a year between 2024 and 2027. The main goal is joint purchases of ammunition, drones and air defense missiles for Ukraine.
The rest of the funds will be used to expenditures the European Union Military Training Program for Ukraine, which has already prepared 40,000 soldiers. Before the plan comes into force, the transition period is provided.
EU officials reported that Member States will start a formal discussion of the plan, probably in the coming days, and is worth discussing it at the EU leaders summit on February 1. However, the final decision can take several weeks.
This initiative is celebrated after the calls of German Chancellor, Olaf Sholtz, to other EU countries more actively assist Ukraine in the aspect of military security. Earlier, Germany has doubled its bilateral military assistance to Ukraine, even with a limited budget, and calls for others to join the efforts to assist Kiev in military plan.
