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European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to an additional 500 million euros in aid to Ukraine, bringing the bloc’s support to 2.5 billion euros since Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24.
“Today at the meeting of EU foreign ministers, a political agreement was reached on the fifth tranche of military aid to Ukraine,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde in a statement.
The funds will help the EU continue buying equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian military, including weapons, which the bloc has said should be used for defensive purposes.
EU rules prevent the bloc from using its seven-year budget to fund military operations. But the mechanism of extra-budgetary funds, the so-called “European Peace Facility” which has a limit of 5 billion euros, can be used to provide military aid.
The EU approved the first tranche of aid shortly after the start of the Russian aggression, in what EU officials described as a watershed moment for the bloc’s prudence on military involvement beyond its borders.
While half of the seven-year fund from the relief mechanism has already been given to Ukraine in just five months, it is unclear how the EU can continue to finance the purchase of arms and other equipment for Ukraine if Russian aggression continues tall.
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