The European Union (EU) is expected to disburse an initial 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to Ukraine in the first half of March to help meet the conflict-torn Eastern European country's urgent budget needs.
The information was given by Vice President of the European Commission (EC) Valdis Dombrovskis at the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) taking place in one of Germany's largest cities deep in the Bavaria region in the south of the country.
“We are finalizing the legislative process, also with the European Parliament, but it is on track,” Dombrovskis told reporters in Munich on Feb. 16. “The money will be transferred to Ukraine very quickly. There are no conditions for that.”
Ukraine is scrambling to plug a budget gap and fund its war against the Russian Army. Europe’s largest land war since World War II is entering its third year with no end in sight.
While the situation on the battlefield and at the negotiating table is deadlocked, the additional aid worth more than 60 billion USD from the US is also stalled in the US Congress .
President Joe Biden on February 16 called the failure of the US Congress to approve aid to Ukraine “outrageous” and told reporters at the White House that it raised “real concerns about the United States as a trusted ally.”
Good news on aid came to Ukraine earlier this month when the EU approved a four-year funding programme, from 2024 to 2027, worth 50 billion euros ($54 billion) for Kiev, after Hungary lifted its veto.
If everything is “on track” as Mr Dombrovskis says, then in less than a month the first tranche of EU aid will actually reach Ukraine at its most urgent moment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany, February 16, 2024. Photo: AFP/RFI
Also on February 16 in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country and Ukraine had signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement, and the agreement would remain in effect unless Ukraine joined NATO.
“Within the framework of this agreement, France commits to additional military aid of up to 3 billion euros ($3.23 billion) by 2024,” President Macron said at a joint press conference in Paris with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The French leader noted that Paris has provided Kiev with military aid worth 1.7 billion euros in 2022 and 2.1 billion euros in 2023, and pledged long-term support to Kiev, including civilian assistance. Mr. Macron also said he would visit Ukraine in mid-March.
Earlier, President Zelensky also signed a similar agreement with Germany on military assistance and training for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin on February 16 that Germany was committed not only to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia “to the extent necessary” but also to helping Kiev “build up modern, resilient armed forces to deter any future attacks.”
In addition to the security agreement, Mr. Scholz also announced a new military aid package worth 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) for Ukraine, including 36 self-propelled guns, 120,000 artillery shells, two Skynex air defense systems and additional missiles for the IRIS-T air defense system .
Minh Duc (According to Bloomberg, Anadolu, Politico EU)
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