Italy, Spain not ready to help Ukraine - EU proposal finds no support from Southern European countries
Italy and Spain have made it clear they are not willing to support a European Union proposal to pledge up to 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year.
The proposal by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas would see the EU double its military support for Kiev in its fight against Russian aggression, after the bloc and its members pledged around 20 billion euros in 2024.
EU officials say it is vital to continue supporting Ukraine on the battlefield, especially given the lack of U.S. support under the Donald Trump administration. The American president has ended Russia's diplomatic isolation and is pressuring both sides to negotiate.
After a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, Kallas said her proposal had "broad political support" and discussions were now going into detail. The proposal has strong support from northern and eastern European countries, according to diplomats.
But some southern European capitals have been more reserved, reflecting a divide between those geographically closer to Russia that have given more aid to Ukraine and those further away that have given less.
Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania lead the way in aid in Europe, having provided more than 2% of their GDP to Kiev between January 2022 and December 2024, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus are among the countries that have given the least, having provided less than 0.5% of their GDP. Hungary, which has the most Russia-friendly government, is at the bottom of the aid table.
Ministers from Italy and Spain, the EU's third and fourth largest economies, said it was too early to take a final position on the proposal. France has also raised questions about the plan, diplomats said.
Italian representatives stressed that the proposal should be discussed in depth and in light of future developments.
"We are waiting for the Trump-Putin phone call to see if there will be any steps forward to reach a ceasefire," the official sources said, adding that Italy also needed to find money to increase its defense spending.
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