Money for weapons or aid for Ukraine: the EU has failed to agree on the allocation of €6.6 billion
This is reported by RMF FM, citing the positions of Poland and Germany and discussions following the meeting of EU defence ministers in Nicosia.
A dispute has arisen within the European Union over the distribution of €6.6 billion from the European Peace Facility, which had previously been blocked by Hungary.
According to RMF FM, Poland is insisting on full compensation for the weapons transferred to Ukraine. Germany, on the other hand, believes that the unblocked funds should be directed entirely towards further support for Ukraine.
Warsaw wants to receive around 2 billion zlotys, or approximately 450 million euros, for weapons already transferred to Ukraine. This position was voiced on RMF FM by Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Cezary Tomczyk.
How much money is up for grabs
Following Hungary’s lifting of the freeze, there is €6.6 billion from the European Peace Facility in Brussels.
At the same time, the total expenditure by EU countries under this mechanism is significantly higher. According to RMF FM, member states have spent 43 billion euros through the fund, and with compensation at around 40%, Brussels would theoretically have to reimburse 13.5 billion euros.
However, the fund does not hold such a sum. That is why the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has proposed a compromise: partial proportional reimbursement, support for a training mission for Ukrainian military personnel, and joint arms purchases for Ukraine.
What Poland is demanding
Poland rejects the partial compensation plan. Warsaw claims that it supplied weapons to Ukraine at the start of the full-scale war and is therefore already entitled to reimbursement.
“It’s our money,” said Cezary Tomczyk on RMF FM.
According to him, a lower level of compensation would mean fewer funds for the Polish army. The Polish side also accuses Brussels of trying to change the rules mid-game.
Slovakia supports Poland’s position. It has also stated that it will demand full reimbursement for the weapons supplied to Ukraine.
What Germany wants
According to RMF FM, Germany is in favour of the unblocked funds not being returned to national budgets, but instead being directed towards supporting Ukraine.
The German Ministry of Defence stated that the European Peace Facility was established as a mechanism of solidarity. German Deputy Defence Minister Sebastian Hartmann, at a meeting in Nicosia, called on partners to direct unused payments from the fund towards aid for Ukraine.
According to one EU diplomat, Germany plans to spend €11.5 billion on Ukraine this year, so the return of a few hundred million euros is not a decisive factor for Berlin.
Who supports the different approaches
According to RMF FM, the Scandinavian countries hold a position close to that of Germany. France also favours Kai Kallas’s plan, as its aid under this fund was insignificant and the expected amount of compensation is not large.
At the same time, France has a specific reservation: if the funds are to be used to purchase weapons for Ukraine, they must be European-made. Paris did not support the initial idea of purchasing weapons from the US under the PURL mechanism.
Poland and Slovakia, on the other hand, insist that the countries which were the first to supply weapons to Ukraine should not lose the compensation already agreed upon.
What happens next
The dispute over the allocation of €6.6 billion is to be discussed at a technical level. After that, the issue may be put before EU ambassadors for consideration.
While no decision has been made, there are differing positions within the European Union: some countries want the funds returned to national budgets, while others propose channelling them towards further aid for Ukraine.
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