EU announces $16 mln support package for Ukrainian army

Aleksandra Voronina

The Council of the EU adopted a €16 million assistance measure to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced it at the press conference following the Foreign Affairs Defense Council meeting on November 15.

The Council unanimously adopted a €16 million defense package under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to support the Ukrainian army, trained by EU Military Assistance Mission Ukraine.

Josep Borrell has emphasized that the new assistance takes into account Ukraine's request and will finance the provision of ammunition, military equipment, and platforms designed to deliver lethal force, and transportation, custody and maintenance, and repair of the equipment financed through the assistance measure.

On the timeline of the provision, High Representative Borrell stated that arms supply to Ukraine is a "continuous flow," and it flows daily.

"What they [Ukraine] need is more ammunition to make those [provided air defense] systems work. And this has to be done on a daily basis. And the most important request that we had is certainly air defense capabilities because Ukraine is being destroyed from the air by drones, flying bombs, and missiles that are sometimes launched from 1000 km far away from Kyiv. What Ukraine needs is more air defense systems. And that's what we going to provide—a continuous flow of ammunition to make the systems already provided fully operational," the top diplomat said.

The top diplomat also stated that now the aid amounts to more than €3.1 billion and contributes to strengthening the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and protecting the civilian population from the ongoing military aggression.

The effort will have a duration of 24 months and adds to the EU support for Ukraine.