EU mobilizes $5.4B in military support for Ukraine

The Council of the European Union on Monday adopted eight decisions mobilizing about €4.9 billion ($5.4 billion) in support for Ukraine under the European Peace Facility (EPF).

The decisions provide €4.7 billion ($5.2 billion) to partially reimburse member states for military aid already delivered to Ukraine and an additional €230 million for the EU Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine, known as EUMAM Ukraine, the council said in a statement.

The package marks a major step toward implementing an agreement among member states to mobilize €6.6 billion under the facility. That agreement also includes €1 billion in new military aid and further support for the training mission in 2027.

According to the council, the latest decisions bring overall support for Ukraine under the EPF to €10.8 billion, including €9.9 billion for military aid reimbursements and €950 million for military training.

Amid Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia, which began in February 2022, the decisions reaffirm the bloc's "continued firm and unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders," the statement said.

The EU has also channeled €3.5 billion in extraordinary revenues generated by immobilized Russian assets through the facility to meet Ukraine's ammunition, air defense, and drone needs.

Of that funding, more than €1.5 billion worth of military equipment was procured directly from Ukraine's defense industry.

Established in March 2021, the EPF finances actions under the EU's common foreign and security policy to prevent conflicts, preserve peace and strengthen international security, including military and defense assistance to partner countries.