BRUSSELS — European Union member countries have agreed to release €6.6 billion ($7.5 billion) in EU funds linked to military aid for Ukraine, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday, Reuters reported.
The money comes from the European Peace Facility, which finances military aid to countries outside the bloc and reimburses EU governments for aid they have provided. Of the released funds, €900 million will go to the EU’s military assistance mission for Ukraine and €1 billion will fund new joint procurement of equipment, Kallas said. The remaining €4.7 billion will reimburse member states, some of whom have said they would channel their share to Ukraine.
“That’s good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia,” Kallas said. “Moscow’s hybrid attacks try to intimidate Europe into scaling back its support for Ukraine. Europe is doing the opposite.” Funds related to Ukraine had been stuck for months, initially blocked by the previous Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán. Individual governments will decide how much of their refunds become fresh military aid for Kyiv.
Sources: Reuters
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