EU Defence ministers meeting: Member States ready to commit €21 billion for military assistance to Ukraine in 2024

EU Military assistance to Ukraine in 2024 can reach a minimum €21 billion, EU High Representative Josep Borrell announced  on Wednesday, after the Informal Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels.

During the meeting, EU Defence Ministers listened to a video message from Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov on the situation in the field and discussed the way ahead for EU support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.

“We asked the Member States about their commitments for this year. I still do not have a complete answer, but many Member States have sent their inputs, and I can say that, at least it is going to be €21 billion being budgeted for 2024 for military assistance to Ukraine,” Borrell told a press conference after the meeting. He added that the EU had allocated €28 billion in military support to Ukraine over the past two years.

Borrell also said ministers had agreed to add another 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers for training, bringing the total to 60,000 trained soldiers by the end of the summer.

He also said that from March last year to date, the EU has already delivered 330,000 munitions to Ukraine out of the promised 1 million.

“By March I expect this figure will be increased by around 200,000 more, thus reaching 524,000. This comes from destocking, and individual and joint procurement,” said Borrell.

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