The European Union is preparing a package of additional military support for Ukraine worth approximately €20 billion.
Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.
The initiative involves the transfer of artillery ammunition, air defense systems, high-precision strike missiles, drones, as well as other weapons.
The initiative is open to in-kind and cash contributions from EU member states and like-minded allies. The EU wants to agree on the initiative at a meeting of the blocʼs foreign ministers on February 24. Although delays are possible due to expected opposition from Hungary and Germanyʼs focus on the countryʼs elections, which will be held on February 23.
Bloomberg notes that the European Union is rushing to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance and security guarantees because it fears a quick peace deal with Russia, which is being promoted by the US President Donald Trump.
Peace negotiations
On February 12, the US President Donald Trump called Russian leader Vladimir Putin and said they had agreed to immediately begin peace talks. At the time, the foreign ministers of Ukraine, the UK and the EU said that Ukraine and Europe should be part of any talks to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
At the Munich Security Conference, Trumpʼs special envoy Keith Kellogg said that Europe would not physically sit at the negotiating table between Russia and Ukraine, but its interests would be taken into account. Now Donald Trump believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "doesnʼt really care to be at the meetings".
The Axios publication, which revealed the details of the conversation between Zelensky and Trump, noted that the US president supported the idea of deploying European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine — this could become one of the security guarantees.
The FT noted that the US has asked European countries to submit detailed proposals for the weapons, peacekeeping troops and security measures they could provide to Ukraine as part of any security guarantees. The United States wants to gauge Europe’s willingness to defend Ukraine after a peaceful settlement and to determine the price Europe is willing to pay in exchange for participating in negotiations with Moscow. In return, the US is asking what Europe wants from Washington in return.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.