The European Union has agreed to pay an additional two billion to the fund used to purchase weapons for Ukraine.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU member states met today in Brussels, and agreed to make payments to the fund, which is mostly used to compensate member states that send weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine.
“With this decision, we are sending a clear political signal of the EU’s permanent commitment to military support for Ukraine,” EU foreign ministers said in a statement.
A €5bn fund was set up last year to boost security, but it is quickly depleting after frequent donations to Ukraine, which in turn has raised concerns about whether the EU will be able to simultaneously maintain the flow of weapons to Ukraine and to help other countries.
An additional two billion euros was approved today despite concerns about “diplomatic blackmail” by Hungary. For example, Budapest last week blocked additional financial aid to Ukraine in the amount of 18 billion euros.
Hungary previously agreed to the creation of a common EU arms fund for Ukraine, but Budapest does not allow weapons for Ukraine to pass through Hungarian territory.
Commenting on Hungary’s stance on Ukraine, a senior diplomat said: “It is a kind of diplomatic blackmail that we would rather not exist, but we have to deal with it.”