EU Foreign Ministers to discuss Ukraine and Russia
The EU Foreign Affairs Council will meet today to discuss the Union’s support of Ukraine.
The Council will approve $544 million of military funding, bringing total EU security support of Ukraine to $1.6 billion since the Russian invasion. The move follows Brussel’s approval of a fifth round of sanctions, including a prohibition of Russian coal.
Many within the EU believe these actions are inadequate. Senior diplomat Joseph Borrell highlighted that the funds pale in comparison to the $38 billion Russia has received for energy supplies since the beginning of the war and urged the European Commission to propose actions to reduce this dependence. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has argued that the EU should send any weapons that Ukraine requests.
Given this internal pressure, expect the Commission to put forward new policy proposals in the coming weeks. However, Member State resistance, including from Germany and Hungary, means that a total energy ban is improbable in the short to medium term. Regarding military support, the Council’s imminent approval of a round of funding so soon after the last indicates strong backing for security support within the bloc. As such, expect further security funding in the near future.
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