By BRUSSELS. May 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Brussels expects that the EU member states will approve the proposal to provide Ukraine with the fourth tranche of military assistance in the amount of EUR 500 million in the near future.
A senior European diplomat told reporters in Brussels on Friday that EUR 490 million will be allocated for lethal and EUR 10 million for non-lethal weapons. According to the official, there is a consensus among member states on the main direction, as the EU must continue to support Ukraine in many aspects, in particular, in the military. He said the EU must continue to supply weapons as it works and they see a difference on the battlefield. At the same time, this proposal was made not so long ago. He believes they need days, it may be three, days or ten days. In the end, there will be agreement, but he cannot say when.
Commenting on this proposal, made this morning in Germany by High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell, the journalists’ interlocutor said this is another illustration of the fact that the EU wants to continue its military support to Ukraine in conjunction with the efforts of the EU partners, the United States and the UK.
According to the European diplomat, the issue of further support for Ukraine, against which Russia is waging war, will be the subject of discussion by EU defense ministers, which will also be attended by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
He said the EU officials must continue to support the efforts that Ukraine is making and try to see how they can help the Ukrainian army, which is opposed to Russia, they must continue to supply equipment. Therefore, the EU support to Ukraine is important, as Ukraine is counting on their equipment and resources, according to the diplomat.
The European diplomat also expressed the opinion that this war will not end in the near future, and the EU will continue to support Ukraine.
