The EU's €40 billion plan to strengthen Ukraine against Putin and Trump

BrusselsDiscussions on a ceasefire in Ukraine are intensifying and the European Union wants to continue doing everything possible to ensure that Kiev sits from a position of strength at a potential negotiating table, especially in view of the the clamp that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are using on him. In this regard, the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has presented a plan that could amount to 40 billion euros to continue supplying weapons to Ukrainian troops, which EU foreign ministers are discussing this Monday in Brussels.

Kallas has stated that "Russia does not want peace," as demonstrated by the "conditions he sets to end the war", and has urged member states to make another effort to promote Ukrainian and European security. However, European partners are divided over the roadmap proposed by Brussels, and the head of diplomacy herself has admitted that there are still differences over the technical details, although she has emphasized that it has "political support."

As usual, the main internal stumbling block is Hungary's pro-Russian Viktor Orbán. Budapest opposes moving forward with this initiative, and diplomatic sources are already talking about approving it through a "coalition of the willing." That is, by adding any member states that wish to do so. Thus, it does not have to be processed unanimously in the EU Council and, therefore, avoids the veto of the far-right Hungarian government.

Beyond Hungary, however, there are also differences among the other partners regarding the amount of arms aid each government should assume in Ukraine. Thus, the Eastern European countries that feel the threat of Russian expansionism are most pressing for an increase and acceleration of this military aid, while the Southern European partners are more skeptical about the plan proposed by the head of European diplomacy.

In this regard, the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stated in statements to the media at the entrance to the EU Council that this year the Spanish government has already provided €1 billion bilaterally to Ukraine. "We have made progress and set an example," the minister argued. However, according to the distribution proposed by the Kallas plan, to which ARA had access, each country should assume a proportional share of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the overall aid that the EU would send. Therefore, Spain would receive around 9%, the equivalent of approximately €3 billion, which is three times what it has already committed to contribute.

It should be remembered that this EU Foreign Affairs meeting is taking place just on the eve of the Trump and Putin discuss ending the war, as the US president himself has announced. This would be another move that completely ignores the voice of the European Union, despite the fact that it has been the power that has given the most money to Kyiv during the more than three years of war and has suffered the most from its consequences. In fact, European leaders will meet again this Thursday in Brussels to discuss the EU's major rearmament plan and, at the same time, how to continue helping Ukraine and play a more prominent role in a potential resolution to the conflict.

Giving hope to Syria

Another of the central topics of the meeting of the foreign ministers, who will be hosting their acting Syrian counterpart, Assad al-Shaibani, is the situation in Syria and the roadmap the EU should follow regarding that country. In this regard, despite the new outbreak of violence In light of the ongoing massacre that has left hundreds dead, the head of European diplomacy has advocated for further easing of sanctions in Syria. In fact, member states are already discussing the abolition of further restrictions.

In this way, Kallas has praised the efforts of the new Syrian authorities to "assume responsibility" and "hold accountable the people who perpetrated these massacres." "We must give people hope," Kallas noted, believing that this is the only way for the European Union to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria.