EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell proposed to member states to increase the volume of the European Peace Fund, which finances military assistance to Ukraine, by another 3.5 billion euros.
About this agency Reuters on Wednesday, sources in the EU said, writes “European truth“.
According to a senior EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Borrell decided to ask for an increase in funding for the fund because his current funds are running out and the EU wants to ensure that there are enough resources for military assistance to other countries, including Ukraine.
“We must replenish it (the fund – ed.). The essence of the European Peace Fund … is universal. It was not conceived for Ukraine. It was conceived for any conflict that the European Union may deal with,” the source added.
The European Peace Fund is an extrabudgetary instrument, the total amount of which is now almost eight billion euros. From it, EU member states are compensated for part of the military spending that they transfer to Ukraine. In total, about 4.6 billion euros have already been spent from the fund for military assistance to Ukraine.
At the same time, through the European Peace Fund, the EU is supporting many other countries such as Mozambique, Georgia, Moldova, Mali, Somalia, Niger, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon and Mauritania.
Hungary in the last days blocked the next tranche in the amount of 500 million euros from the European Peace Foundation. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó made it clearthat all this is happening solely because of Ukraine’s inclusion of the Hungarian OTP Bank in the list of international sponsors of the war.
2023-05-17 20:14:41
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