The European Union (EU) has decided to provide additional military aid to Ukraine in the amount of €500 million.
Reuters writes about it.
According to the agencyʼs sources, the countries agreed to this tranche during a meeting of 27 EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
The €500 million package was approved along with an additional €45 million for non-lethal equipment for the Ukrainian militaryʼs training mission in the European Union, an EU diplomat told Reuters. Two other sources confirmed this after the ministersʼ closed-door talks.
Hungary has also approved aid for Ukraine, but has spoken out against increasing sanctions against Russia, especially if they limit Budapestʼs cooperation with Moscow in nuclear energy.
"All decisions that could prolong the war or lead to a potential escalation are against our interests. It has been proven that sanctions lead Europe to a dead end," noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijarto.
- On January 20, the eighth meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine was held at the Rammstein Air Base in Germany. German Defense Minister Borys Pistorius said that the Western allies at the Ramstein-style meeting have not yet reached an agreement on providing Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks. According to him, Germany does not block this decision.
- At the same time, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov informed that the Ukrainian military will already begin training to operate Leopard tanks. This means that as soon as a political decision on deliveries is made, the Ukrainian army will be able to use these tanks immediately.
- White House spokesman for national security and defense John Kirby stated that Germany is going through "its own process" on the issue of providing Leopard tanks to Ukraine. According to him, the United States does not put pressure on the Germans.
- According to Business Insider, a former German Defense Minister Lambrecht, before her resignation, banned the Bundeswehrʼs inventory of tanks in order to delay the governmentʼs response to the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on January 22 that allied countries will create a smaller coalition that will be ready to share modern tanks if Germany does not agree to hand over Leopard 2 to Ukraine.
- According to Reuters, upon arriving at the meeting in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock declined to comment on Morawieckiʼs words, but said that Berlin would not stand in Polandʼs way. According to her, it is important to "do everything possible to protect Ukraine."