European Commission: EU diplomacy chief isn't abandoning €40bn military aid plan for Ukraine
Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is continuing discussions with EU member states on her €40 billion initiative for military support to Ukraine and hopes to secure its approval.
Anitta Hipper, spokesperson for the European Commission, stressed at a briefing in Brussels that Kallas continues to hold discussions with EU states on the €40 billion military support project for Ukraine.
"So to answer simply, yes," said Hipper, answering a question from journalists about whether Kallas believes her plan to support Ukraine will be approved.
"The plan [is] to ensure that we have the full support for Ukraine, also when it comes to our military support, this is why the high representative has put forward her plan and we're discussing this. It's our responsibility to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength, so this is why we need to urgently step up all the measures. As we have seen from last year, we've provided more than €20.5 billion of military support to Ukraine, and we need to do much more in the light of the current challenges," she said.
Hipper noted that Kallas proposed to increase military support to Ukraine by focusing on three main needs.
"First of all, it's important to listen to what exactly Ukraine needs and has asked for, and hence, this is why the focus is now on the immediate, on the €5 billion in ammunition support. This is about artillery ammunition. The second point is also about air defence systems, the missiles, the drones and the fighter jets. And also the support for the regeneration of the [Ukrainian military] brigades," she pointed out.
The spokeswoman added that the idea of planning the contributions of each participating state in accordance with its gross national income (GNI) has not been removed from the agenda.
"So what we have in terms of the GNI, this is our proposal that stands. It is important that the GNI key takes into account the economy of each country. At the same time, we also know that there are concerns in this regard. That's why we are discussing with member states in this regard," Hipper said.
Italy, France and Slovakia insisted on a softer version of the Kallas plan to help Ukraine during the preparation of the EU leaders' summit on 20 March.