The EU reached an agreement on the fifth tranche of military aid to Ukraine.
Source: EU foreign ministers
European Union foreign ministers agreed on July 18 to allocate another 500 million euros ($504 million) of EU funds to arms Ukraine, bringing the bloc’s security aid to 2.5 billion euros since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
“Today at the EU foreign ministers meeting, a political agreement was reached on the fifth tranche of military assistance to Ukraine,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.
The money should help the EU continue joint purchases of equipment and materials for the Ukrainian armed forces, including lethal weapons, which the bloc says should be used for defensive purposes.
EU rules normally prevent the bloc from using its seven-year budget to fund military operations, but the so-called European Peace Facility, which has a limit of 5 billion euros, is off-budget and can be used to provide military aid.
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell told that he sought to show Ukraine that the EU was not giving up.
“I’m sure (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is counting on the democratic fatigue. He believes that democracies are weak. Look, no. The European societies cannot afford fatigue,” Borrell said.
See also: The organizers of the 2022 World Games have raised $54,000 for the reconstruction of Ukraine
