The Council of the European Union has approved another € 500 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
Thus, the total amount of aid will increase to € 2 billion. Of this tranche, € 490 million will go to lethal weapons, and € 10 million will be used to cover the cost of equipment and supplies such as personal protective equipment, first aid kits, and fuel.
"The history of tomorrow is being written today, on the battlefields of Ukraine. With this € 500 million, the EU has allocated a total of € 2 billion to support the supply of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine from EU member states. This support is only part of Europeʼs efforts to help Ukraine defend itself. The EU and its member states are determined to continue. We have been doing this since the beginning of the war and we will continue to do so until the end," EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell said.
The amount of equipment to be provided in the new support package is in line with the current priorities set by the Ukrainian government.
- On May 23, 20 countries agreed to provide new military assistance to Ukraine. Among them are Italy, Denmark, Greece, Norway and Poland. In particular, Denmark will provide Ukraine with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and launchers, Austin said. The Czech Republic will hand over combat helicopters to Ukraine. Poland, Italy, Norway, and Greece have announced the transfer of artillery systems and ammunition to Ukraine.
- On May 21, US President Joe Biden signed a law providing $ 40 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is struggling with a full-scale Russian invasion.
- On May 16, EU member states agreed to provide another € 500 million in military aid to Ukraine. But it was not possible to agree on the introduction of the sixth package of sanctions against Russia.