‘Too Early’ to Agree on EU-Proposed $40B Military Aid, Italy, Spain Say

Italy and Spain said it was “too early” to double the EU’s military aid to Ukraine to €40 billion ($43.6 billion), saying it was necessary to wait for the results of US-Russia ceasefire negotiations, Reuters reported.

On Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a two-hour phone conversation in which Putin agreed to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, within hours of the call, Russia launched an airstrike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the Donetsk region city of Slovyansk. 

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas proposed that each EU country contribute to Ukraine’s aid in proportion to the size of its economy in order to double the €20 billion ($21.8 billion) provided in 2024.

Kallas stated that her initiative has “broad political support.” However, Italian and Spanish representatives said it was too early to make a decision.

Kallas’ proposal received strong support from Northern and Eastern European countries, which already provide significant aid to Ukraine, Reuters wrote. 

But leaders are unlikely to make a final decision on the military aid package for Ukraine at the EU summit this Thursday and Friday – March 20-21, three sources told Suspilne.

Estonia, Denmark, and Lithuania have allocated over 2% of their GDP to support Kyiv from 2022 to 2024. Meanwhile, Southern European countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus contributed less than 0.5% of their GDP.

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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the proposal needs further review. He also indicated that Italy needs to increase its defense spending, Reuters reported.

Spain, according to its Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, has already committed €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine and currently sees no need for additional commitments.

Slovakia and Hungary will not block the initiative but they are refusing to participate in financing it.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that his country would not allow Hungarian taxpayers’ money to be used to supply weapons to Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

Meanwhile, the UK and the EU are discussing how legally seize frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg reported.

Additionally, the states aim to increase defense spending together to pressure Putin ahead of peace talks, the media outlet wrote.