Italy and Spain have announced that they are not ready to support the European Union’s (EU) offer to commit up to 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year.

Officials from the European Union (EU) are planning to increase military support to Ukraine due to the uncertainty surrounding future Ukrainian policy of the Donald Trump administration in the US. The proposal presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas envisions doubling the support given to Ukraine. In 2024, the EU and its member states provided Ukraine with approximately 20 billion euros in military aid. Kallas, who presented the proposal during a meeting in Brussels on Monday with the participation of foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states, stated that the proposal has received “broad political support” and that details are currently being discussed.

BIGGEST SUPPORT FROM EASTERN EUROPE

According to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Estonia, Denmark, and Lithuania were among the countries that provided the most support in Europe by providing more than 2% of their GDP as aid to Ukraine between January 2022 and December 2024. On the other hand, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus provided the least contribution to Ukraine by giving less than 0.5% of their GDP. Hungary, accused within the EU of pursuing a policy close to Russia, ranks last on the list.

“WE ARE WAITING FOR THE TRUMP-PUTIN CALL”

The foreign ministers of Italy and Spain, speaking before the meeting, stated that it is still too early to take a firm stance on the proposal. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasized the need for a comprehensive discussion of the proposal and evaluating it in light of upcoming developments, stating, “We are waiting for the Trump-Putin phone call. We want to see if there will be progress towards a ceasefire” and underscored the need for Italy to find resources to increase its own defense spending. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated, “We will see how the discussions progress, but there is currently no decision on this issue.” Albares also noted that Spain has committed to providing 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year and indicated that Madrid does not expect a proposal from Kallas to show that Ukraine can rely on support.

COUNTERSTATEMENT FROM HUNGARY

Peter Szijjarto, the Foreign Minister of Hungary, one of the countries that did not support Ukraine along with Slovakia, reacted to the proposal by stating on X account, “We will not be drawn into this process, we will not allow Hungarian taxpayers’ money to be used to send weapons to Ukraine.” However, European diplomats speaking to Reuters believe that because aid will be determined on a voluntary basis, Slovakia and Hungary will not be able to block the proposal.