The European External Relations Service (EEAS), headed by Josep Borrell, conducts an audit of EU member statesʼ military aid to Ukraine.
This is reported by the Financial Times with reference to three European diplomats.
The diplomatic service of the EU plans to present its conclusions before the summit of the leaders of the European Union, which will take place on February 1.
The verification will be based on the materials that Member States have provided in response to EEAS requests. At the same time, as the diplomat noted, some countries have already expressed their reluctance to provide complete data.
The decision to conduct the audit came after the statement of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who demanded to count and compare arms supplies to Ukraine. He called the military aid planned by most of the EU member states for this year too small. He called on allies to increase aid to Ukraine and decide on plans before the EU summit.
Scholzʼs statement was taken as a rebuke to countries such as France and Italy, whose plans to support Ukraine are much smaller. At the same time, high-ranking officials in Brussels privately supported Scholz.
- Germany ranks second in the volume of aid to Ukraine, the largest donor is the USA. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, by the end of October 2023, Germany provided military aid to Ukraine for more than €17 billion. This is five times more than Denmark, the second largest sponsor among EU countries.
- Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Germany has provided Ukraine with various types of weapons, including PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, Marder BMPs, Gepard anti-aircraft guns, air defense systems, MLRS, and Leopard tanks. In March 2023, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would increase ammunition production and weapons repair capacity to further support Ukraine.
- Last month , Germany promised to double its aid to Ukraine this year to €8 billion.