On Thursday 20 July, EU foreign ministers discussed “the most sustainable and predictable financing of defence support for Ukraine” by creating a specific section within the ‘European Peace Facility’ (EPF) “to provide up to €5 billion per year over the next four years for the defence needs of Ukraine”, explained the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, after the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council meeting.
According to him, the figure of 20 billion is based on “an assessment of the needs and cost of (Europe’s) long-term security commitments to Ukraine”. The High Representative reportedly presented this amount to the ministers as a ceiling.
The French minister, Catherine Colonna, said that she had not heard any dissent during the EU Council discussion, adding that the Europeans were “united in considering that they must continue their aid to Ukraine”. “We will of course be holding discussions. You have to have them. Each country will look at what it can do and under what conditions it is prepared to contribute”, she explained.
“We need very substantial financial resources to give Ukraine more support in the military sphere in order to implement the right to self-defence”, said Germany’s Annalena Baerbock. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel, there is nothing left to do but to give Ukraine the means to defend itself against Russian attacks”, added Luxembourg Minister Jean Asselborn.
While the Austrian minister, Alexander Schallenberg, made it clear that he would continue to stand by Ukraine and support it, “the extent of this support and its financing still need to be discussed”. He felt that the discussion should be broader than just the military aspect. Mr Schallenberg wanted to discuss a global package, citing macro-financial aid and humanitarian aid. He linked the discussion on military support to that on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework.
According to Mr Borrell, the subject of the Ukraine fund within the EPF will be discussed in greater detail at the informal meetings of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in Toledo at the end of August. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Léa Marchal)