EU does not wait for US budget decisions on Ukraine and increases aid – Borrell

The EU is considering various proposals to provide €50 billion in funding for Ukraine and a further €20 billion for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The European Commission has announced a proposal for member states to provide €50 billion to fund Ukraine / REUTERS photo

The European Union is not waiting for the United States to resolve its budgetary problems with Ukraine but is increasing its support.

According to a UNIAN correspondent, European Commission Vice-President, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said this at a press conference in Kyiv.

The EU High Representative expressed his understanding that the general public is interested in the recent decisions of the US Congress on budgetary issues.

“A few days ago, there was another vote where Democrats and some Republicans voted to give $300 million to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. So we think we are on the right track,” Borrell said.

At the same time, Josep Borrell said the EU was surprised that “the last-minute agreement took a form that we deeply and profoundly regret”. “We believe that this is not the last word. Having heard President Biden call for this decision to be reconsidered, I hope that this will not be the final decision and that Ukraine will continue to have the support of the United States,” Borrell stressed.

“For our part, we have not waited for this decision to increase our proposals to support Ukraine,” Borrell said.

The EU High Representative recalled that the European Commission had recently proposed that member states allocate €50 billion to finance Ukraine.

Josep Borrell also noted that he had earlier proposed at an informal EU Council meeting in Toledo the establishment of an internal fund within the European Peace Facility worth €20 billion over four years.

“The discussion is ongoing. We have to look at everything together. But this shows that our support for Ukraine is not only continuing, it is increasing,” said Borrell. The EU High Representative hopes that member states will take the necessary decisions by the end of the year.

“Let’s see what will happen in the U.S., but from our side, we will continue supporting and increasing our support,” said Borrell.

Josep Borrell also stressed that the EU’s support for Ukraine “does not depend on how the war develops in the coming days or weeks”. The Ukrainian military is fighting with great courage in the face of significant Russian defences.

“Satellite imagery shows that these fortifications are 25 kilometres deep and wide in some cases. So a counter-offensive is a difficult task in a completely mined area, making it very difficult for mechanised military equipment to advance quickly,” Borrell said.

He explained that the EU’s assistance is not dependent on one-day advances but is a constant and structured support because we face an existential threat to Europe.

Borrell said that for the Ukrainians to be more successful on the battlefield, they must be provided with better weapons more quickly.

US budget cuts

UNIAN reports that the domestic political crisis in the United States has intensified in recent weeks amid the actual start of the presidential election campaign. Due to the position of some Republicans, who are in favour of drastic cuts in budget spending, including aid to Ukraine, Congress failed to pass the state budget for the next fiscal year, which begins on 1 October, on time.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get aid to Ukraine approved by the US Congress. Almost half of the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to exclude $300 million from the defence budget, which was intended to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons.

Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova explained what this means for Ukraine. She believes that the adoption of the temporary US budget, which does not include any new spending to support Ukraine, means that the Ukrainian state will continue to work with its partners.

UNIAN