As EU leaders convene in Brussels for another European Council summit later this week, the most burning issue on the agenda is the so-called ‘Kallas plan,’ the initiative of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas aiming to send yet another urgent military aid package to Kyiv, worth up to €40 billion.
The plan foresees spending €5 billion on 2 million rounds of large-caliber artillery ammunition—after failing to deliver even one million shells in the past two years—and further spending on air defense systems, missiles, drones, fighter jets, and other lethal and non-lethal equipment, all of which should be realized this year.
The latest draft of the plan was already discussed between EU foreign ministers on Monday, March 17th, after which Kallas said there was “broad political support” for the proposed €40 billion figure, although media reports indicated that member states are far from agreeing on the total value of the package or how contributions should be split.
While most countries want a quick agreement and immediate mobilization of the funds, the discussion about the final figures—anywhere between €20 billion and €40 billion—is still “complicated,” inside sources said.
There is also heavy debate about how the individual contributions should be calculated. Kallas’ original proposal imagined everyone throwing in “their fair share” according to their economic output. Smaller countries with lower GDP supported this, but not the bigger ones—such as France, Italy, and Spain—who would need to provide the lion’s share of the fund.
Several EU member states also called for the elimination of “double counting,” so the agreement will likely let countries deduct any support they have already provided to Ukraine since February from their required contributions. This means that the final amount sent under the plan will be less than on paper.
What’s more, they also asked Brussels to find ways to incorporate at least part of the €18 billion seized windfall profits generated by the frozen Russian assets. In other words, most EU member states agree on the package but few are keen to pay for it since they are actively looking for ways to minimize their contributions.
Furthermore, Kallas insisted that “everyone at the table understood that we have to demonstrate our resolve right now and support Ukraine so that it can defend itself.” Another exaggeration, given that at least two countries, Hungary and Slovakia, do not support prolonging the war by sending further military aid, but instead are calling for Europe to follow Trump’s lead for a diplomatic conclusion.
Of course, the Council is already prepared for the likely Hungarian and Slovak vetoes, as a separate resolution is being drafted in the name of a ‘coalition of the willing,’ which could be adopted on Friday instead of a unanimous Council position.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó did not mince words when explaining Budapest’s position on Monday. Szijjártó said his country “will not be dragged into this, nor will we let Hungarian taxpayers’ money be used to finance arms supplies to Ukraine.” The Slovak FM also said Bratislava will opt out of the fund.
Still, Kallas’ ‘coalition of the willing’ might include more than the remaining 25 EU countries, as there are plans to involve the UK and Norway as well, although it remains unclear whether they would participate on the same level as EU member states.
