The countries of the European Union (EU) reached a political agreement on Wednesday to promote a specific fund of military support to Ukraine endowed with 5 billion euros for this year.

The ambassadors of the Twenty-seven reached an agreement in principle to reform the European Peace Support Fund (FEAP), through which they have been co-financing the delivery of lethal and non-lethal equipment to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion and that will have the aforementioned item, specific to Kiev.

“The EU remains determined to provide lasting support to Ukraine and to ensure that the country receives the military equipment it needs to defend itself,” the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU said through social network X.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, welcomed the political agreement and assured that the fund will increase European military support to Ukraine with another 5 billion euros.

“The message is clear: we will support Ukraine with whatever is necessary for it to prevail,” he said.

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The EU countries have reached an agreement on this 5 billion euro EAFF supplement after extensive negotiations, although the details of the pact are not yet known.

Germany asked that the 8 billion it will dedicate to support Ukraine this year when establishing the compensations in the fund be taken into account, so that its contribution – which the countries make based on their Gross Domestic Product – takes into account the bilateral support already granted.

Berlin also wanted the fund to be used to encourage joint purchases of weapons and new ammunition for Ukraine, rather than to finance the delivery of existing material in the arsenals of the countries, in much of the Soviet era.

Countries such as France, Greece and Cyprus, in addition, insisted that the fund should privilege the acquisition of material in Europe.
In addition to the difficulties faced by the reform of the FEAP, Hungary had stated that it did not want to continue participating in that fund.

In addition to the difficulties faced by the reform of the FEAP, Hungary had stated that it did not want to continue participating in that fund.

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To solve the issue of the a posteriori compensation raised by Germany, it has been agreed to maintain a contribution amount from each Member State but allowing it to integrate already agreed reimbursements, Community sources said.

Thus, a country can subtract from its contribution the amount that the fund has agreed to reimburse you, and this can mean that the figure is zero if the contribution and the reimbursement are equal, or if the expected reimbursement is higher.

On the other hand, on the question of the origin of the acquisition of the equipment, the proposal made by the Belgian presidency tried to balance the request of some Member States that the fund be used exclusively to finance purchases in the European defense industry and Norway, and the position of others who advocated greater flexibility.

In this way, the possibility of making joint acquisitions outside the European and Norwegian industry has been introduced in cases where its technological and military industrial base cannot supply material in time for Ukraine, while part of the fund would be reserved for joint acquisitions to the EU industry (and Norway), the sources specified.

The text of the agreement agreed today is expected to officially receive the green light at the Foreign Affairs Council to be held next Monday in Brussels.

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At the beginning of the year, the military assistance provided to Ukraine by the EU and its member states since the beginning of the war was estimated at about 28 billion euros.