Italy, Spain not ready to back EU plan to boost Ukraine military aid

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1. Italy and Spain made clear on Monday they were not ready to back a European Union proposal to pledge up to 40 billion euros ($43.67 billion) in military aid for Ukraine this year, with each country contributing according to the size of its economy.

   The proposal by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could mean a doubling of EU military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion as the bloc and its members gave some 20 billion euros in 2024.

   EU officials say it is vital to keep backing Ukraine on the battlefield amid uncertainty over the future of U.S. support under Donald Trump’s administration, which has ended Russia’s diplomatic isolation and is pressing both sides to negotiate.

   The proposal has strong backing from northern and eastern European countries, according to diplomats. But some southern European capitals have been more reticent, reflecting a division between those geographically closer to Russia that have given more aid to Ukraine and those further away that have given less, as a share of their economies.

   Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania lead the field in Europe, having given more than 2% of their GDP in aid to Kyiv between January 2022 and December 2024, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy think tank. Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus are among those to have given the least, having provided less than 0.5% of their GDP. Hungary, which has the EU’s most Russia-friendly government, is bottom of the EU table.

   Speaking before the meeting, ministers from Italy and Spain – the EU’s third and fourth biggest economies – said it was too early to take a definitive position on the proposal. France has also raised questions about the plan, diplomats say.

   Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the proposal would have to be discussed in depth and in the light of forthcoming developments. “We are waiting for the Trump-Putin telephone call to see if there will be any steps forward in order to reach a ceasefire,” he said, adding that Italy also had to find money to boost its own defence spending. “There is a lot of expenditure to be tackled,” he said.

   Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said: “We’ll see how the debate goes, but at this point there’s no decision on it.” Albares said Spain had already committed to providing 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year. He said Madrid had not had to “wait for the High Representative (Kallas) to make any proposal” to show Kyiv could rely on its support.

2. The most ironic part of this war is that Ukraine’s allies aren’t supporting it to achieve victory but are merely providing the bare minimum aid needed to prevent its total collapse and defeat.

3. So much for a united Europe

4. Well Putin gets to italy and Spain borders soon if Ukraine shield is down. Trump it’s on boat with him. So better get ready for them to annex EU

5. UNION

6. France probably negotiating about how the money would be spent. If it’s buy in EU only, Italy and Spain might warm up to the idea.

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