EU diplomats suggest that military aid to Ukraine be doubled this year

According to a document from the diplomatic service of the EU, seen on Friday, it is possible that this year's military aid for Ukraine could be doubled to 40 billion euro ($43 billion).

In the paper, which is an updated version from an earlier proposal that outlined Ukraine's needs but did not specify a specific figure, it also states that each EU member country participating in this effort should contribute according to its economic weight.

As the future of U.S. support for Ukraine is uncertain, EU member states have expressed their willingness to continue to support the country during the war that will be sparked by Russia's invasion in 2022. Diplomats, however, say several countries oppose fixed targets.

The paper states that the EU provided about 20 billion euro in military assistance to Ukraine in the past year. It encourages EU member countries to provide at least the equivalent in 2025. However, the total amount could "potentially" reach 40 billion euros depending on Kyiv’s needs.

Next week, EU leaders will likely discuss the proposal of the European External Action Service. The EEAS is headed by Kaja Kallas. She was the former Estonian prime minister.

The EEAS non-paper - diplomatic jargon referring to a discussion document and not a formal proposal – suggests that leaders will agree to a first step this week, namely to supply 2 million rounds of large calibre artillery ammunition for Kyiv in 2014.

This suggests that part of the cost of the plan may come from a scheme which uses windfall profits generated by Russian assets in the EU to benefit Ukraine.

Politico reported the contents of this new proposal late Thursday night.

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, who has criticised EU sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine, stated on Friday that his country would contribute to a joint EU defence policy but would not accept a joint EU borrowing. Reporting by Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Benoit van Overstraeten; Editing and Philippe Fletcher.

(source: Reuters)