The European Union will contribute 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) to a fund used to help arm Ukraine, as payment for weapon deliveries has depleted the fund, European diplomats said Friday.
According to diplomats, the 27-member EU has reached a preliminary agreement to strengthen the European Peace Facility, which has already committed over 3 billion euros to cover the cost of weaponry for Kyiv.
Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday were expected to formally approve the move.
However, diplomats said that a separate dispute with Hungary over its own frozen EU funds could cause Budapest to delay approval.
The European Peace Facility was established last year to assist the European Union in funding military assistance to its international partners as the bloc seeks to strengthen its global clout.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the vast majority of the fund was diverted to assist in arming Ukraine, breaking a long-standing taboo of not paying for arms deliveries.
Only 800 million of the facility’s original 5.7 billion euro budget for 2027 remains.
Officials want to increase it so that the EU can commit to more assistance to Ukraine next year as the war continues.
The fund is used to reimburse individual member states for arms supplies sent to Kyiv.
So far, the European Union has committed approximately 8 billion euros to military assistance to Ukraine, which is approximately 45 percent of the amount provided by the United States.