On Friday, EU leaders reassured Ukraine of their continuous support as the country faces difficult budget discussions and an unpredictable war in the Middle East
Oct 27 (Telegraph News) — “Despite the geopolitical difficulties in the Middle East, it was very evident in the debate that our priority remains on assisting Ukraine (…) We will continue to send desperately needed guns and ammo. “We will continue to provide much-needed financial relief,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters following the discussions on Friday.
The EU leaders emphasized in their final summit communiqué that the bloc “will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.”
Concerning military assistance, EU leaders directed the EU’s top diplomat to “consult with Ukraine on the EU’s future security commitments and report back on those discussions at the European Council meeting in December.”
The next stage for December, however, is likely to be a battle to get Ukraine’s proposed €50 billion package approved before the end of the year.
According to the most recent figures released by the EU’s executive this week, total EU support for Ukraine has reached about €83 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Earlier this year, the European Commission suggested to member states that they contribute more monies to its shared budget in order to cover further shared spending until 2027, including an extension of €50 billion in new aid to Ukraine.
“There is a strong view that we need more money for Ukraine, almost unanimity on that,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Brussels.
“But there is very little agreement on where we would find the money,” he said.
Aside from delivering money and military aid, the EU has placed eleven rounds of sanctions on Russia.
The EU is now working with member states on the twelfth sanctions package aimed at Russia, von der Leyen said, saying that the group is particularly interested in how to reduce Russia’s remaining profits from diamond exports.
The European Commission is also scheduled to provide a recommendation on how to use the gains from Russian assets, she added, adding that the plan was to take windfall profits and route them to Ukraine through the EU budget.
