Europe may need to step up Ukraine aid while assistance from US stalls — Macron
EU countries will likely have to provide
Ukraine with more than the planned EUR 50
billion ($54 billion) in aid, due to delays in assistance from the United
States, French President Emmanuel Macron said on April 11.
“If U.S. funding does not come through, Europe must mobilize and develop new financial instruments [to aid Kyiv],” Macron said during the inauguration of a gunpowder factory in Bergerac, France.
The president said that the EU would need to approve additional funding and provide Ukraine with more than the EUR 50 billion envisaged by the Ukraine Facility program, which was approved by the bloc in February.
“We cannot abandon Ukraine because it is 1,500 kilometers away from here; this means that it is our personal safety, the opportunity for Europe to be present in the world," the French leader added.
On Feb. 1, the European Council unanimously approved a new financial aid package for Ukraine for 2024-2027. The package is worth EUR 50 billion, with EUR 39 billion earmarked for budgetary assistance.
Since October 2023, House Republicans have been blocking the vote on a bill to appropriate $60 billion for U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Republican Congressman Don Bacon said on March 31 that the U.S. Congress would vote on Ukraine aid immediately after the Easter recess, which lasts until April 9.
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