EU changes formula of military support for Ukraine - Media.

The European Union is moving away from the previous system of military support for Ukraine. This is due, in particular, to the veto of pro-Russian Hungary.

On Wednesday, a political agreement of EU ambassadors on the rules for providing Ukraine with 50 billion euros, obtained from interest on frozen Russian assets, is expected to take place, writes RMF FM.

The draft decision stipulates that the vast majority of the funds will be allocated to programs financed from the EU budget, and only 5% of the money received in this way will replenish the Peace Fund, from which the EU has so far financed arms for Ukraine.

This decision will not require unanimity, so the Hungarian veto will be bypassed, the portal notes. Recall that Hungary "shamelessly," as one of the EU diplomats put it, has been blocking for almost a year the eighth tranche of the Peace Fund, from which EU countries are reimbursed for weapons transferred to Ukraine. As a result, for example, Poland has been waiting for months for a payment of about 2 billion zlotys.

Bypassing Hungary is the main advantage of changing the percentage of funding.

Sharp reduction of funds for the Peace Fund

The decision that a significant majority (95%) of the money from the interest on frozen Russian assets will be directed to Ukrainian programs financed from the EU budget means, however, a sharp reduction in funds allocated to this Fund. Although Kyiv can direct part of this macro-financial assistance, for example, to strengthen its defense industry, the system of transferring weapons from the warehouses of member countries, for which Brussels reimburses money, is becoming a thing of the past. There simply will not be enough funds in it.

Until recently, the situation was the opposite, and 90% of the funds from the interest on frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank were directed to the Fund. Then (likely for the last Time) Ukraine received funds for weapons from the Fund - 1.4 billion euros. This happened thanks to a clever maneuver that allowed bypassing the Budapest veto.