Diplomacy
EU sends 'message' to Russia with massive Ukraine aid package
'Russia cannot count on any fatigue from Europeans in their support for Ukraine,' said French President Emmanuel Macron following the decision to pledge €50 billion in aid for Ukraine.
![Activists December 16 hold placards as they attend a rally in front of the Kyiv City Council building, demanding the local authorities allocate more funds to the Ukrainian military amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [Roman Pilipey/AFP]](/gc6/images/2024/02/02/45846-kyivrally-370_237.webp)
By Kontur and AFP |
BRUSSELS -- European Union (EU) leaders on February 1 overcame months of opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to pledge €50 billion in aid for Ukraine, in a move they hailed as a strong message to Russia.
The deal to keep funds flowing to Ukraine comes as doubts over support from Kyiv's Western backers have buoyed Russian President Vladimir Putin, nearly two years into his invasion of the neighboring country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the EU for the funds.
"Today the EU has made a long-awaited decision," Zelenskyy said in his evening address. "This is a clear signal to Moscow that Europe will withstand and that Europe will not be broken."
A disinformation campaign attributed to Russia has targeted Western media and social media in an attempt to foster the idea that Europe and the United States are weary of Kyiv.
The new aid package proves otherwise.
"The message is clear," said French President Emmanuel Macron after the Brussels summit wrapped up. "Russia cannot count on any fatigue from Europeans in their support for Ukraine."
Macron said the deal likewise sent a message to Washington -- where billions of dollars in aid are held up in Congress -- "that the European Union is here, committed and delivers."
US set to vote on aid package
The United States is debating its own $60 billion (€55 billion) proposal for support for Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden called European Commission (EC) chief Ursula von der Leyen to thank her for the bloc's approval of the aid for Ukraine, the White House said in a readout of their phone conversation.
The EC is part of the EU's executive branch.
The US president "commended the European Union's steadfast support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression and fulfill the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of its citizens," the White House said.
Biden welcomed the "significant financial aid package" which will "go a long way to helping Ukraine as they continue to battle back against Russia's aggression," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
The EU money will plug holes in the Ukrainian government's budget to allow it to pay salaries and services, as its outgunned soldiers battle to hold back Moscow's forces.