Italy, Spain hesitant on EU's $43 billion military aid to Ukraine plan
Italy and Spain have signaled reluctance to support the European Union's proposal to allocate up to 40 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine this year, Reuters reported on March 17.
The initiative to double EU military aid for Ukraine has "broad political support" among member states, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
However, divisions persist, particularly between countries geographically closer to Russia — such as Estonia, Denmark, and Lithuania — which have committed more than 2% of their GDP to aid Kyiv, and those further away, which have contributed less.
At the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on March 17, Italy and Spain, the third- and fourth-largest economies in the bloc, took a cautious approach.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the proposal needed further discussion and that Italy was awaiting the outcome of the upcoming call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are waiting for the Trump-Putin telephone call to see if there will be any steps forward in order to reach a ceasefire," Tajani said.
The U.S. president is set to hold a phone call with Putin on March 18 to discuss ending Russia's war against Ukraine and a temporary ceasefire.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares echoed this sentiment, saying, "We will see how the debate goes, but there is no decision on the matter yet." He noted that Spain had already committed 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine this year.
Both Hungary and Slovakia have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, but EU officials say they cannot obstruct the plan since contributions will be voluntary.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently delayed EU sanctions on Russia and military assistance for Ukraine, aligning himself with Trump's approach and expressing hopes for a swift resolution to the war.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has previously promoted pro-Russian narratives on Ukraine and the war and met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last December to discuss gas transit issues ahead of Ukraine's planned transit halt.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
