EU prepares long-term support plan for Ukraine

“The European External Action Service has drafted a plan that recommends the bloc make a full slate of ‘security commitments to Ukraine’ for years to come as it fends off Russia’s onslaught,” Politico informs referring to a document that has not yet been made public.

As noted, the recommendations are mostly a summary of the EU efforts already underway to support Ukraine.

“But taken together, they are notable in their breadth and suggested longevity, essentially outlining billions in potential support in the coming years,” Politico says.

The document envisions this reimbursement system as a pillar of the EU’s long-term military support for Ukraine, saying officials will “soon” offer a plan to create a “dedicated” pot of money for such efforts that would run through 2027.

“This will be a core element of [the] EU’s security commitment to Ukraine in the short to longer term,” it says.

The draft document says the EU will spend €4 billion from the fund this year alone.

Separately, the document is keen to tout the extent of EU-provided military training, saying that 25,000 Ukrainian military personnel have either completed or are currently undergoing training.

The European External Action Service argues the EU’s iron-clad unity with Ukraine is existential, calling Russia’s war “a fundamental challenge to European peace and security.” Russia, it says, is “unlikely to abandon its goal to subjugate Ukraine.”

Because of that, it adds, “Ukraine will continue to need [the] EU’s long-term commitment and support to secure its free and democratic European future.”