Italy and Spain have made it clear that they are not ready to support the European Union's proposal to provide 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year, with each country contributing according to the size of its economy, Reuters reports, BTA reports.
The proposal by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas could lead to a doubling of Brussels' military support for Ukraine. By comparison, in 2024 the EU and member states allocated about 20 billion euros to help Kiev in the war against the Russian invasion.
According to EU officials, it is essential that support for Ukraine continues, especially against the backdrop of uncertainty about future US policy after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Trump has taken a softer approach to Russia and is pushing for talks that could lead to a ceasefire.
Earlier today, Trump announced that he would hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to end the war.
After a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, Kallas said her proposal had received "broad political support" and that discussions were now entering into detail.
Diplomats say that countries in northern and eastern Europe are the strongest supporters of the initiative. At the same time, some southern European countries remain more restrained, reflecting the divide between countries that are geographically closer to Russia and provide greater military assistance, and those that are further away and contribute less proportionately to their economies.
According to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania are leading the way in supporting Ukraine, providing over 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) in aid between January 2022 and December 2024. At the same time, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus are among the countries with the lowest contributions – less than 0.5 percent of GDP.