Poland, Germany in dispute over how to disburse unblocked EU funds for Ukraine
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Germany has proposed paying Ukraine the full 6.6 billion euros ($7.7 billion) in European Peace Facility funding recently unblocked in the EU, but Poland is raising objections, Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said in an interview on June 10.
"This money is our money," Tomczyk told Polish radio broadcaster RMF 24.
The dispute concerns 6.6 billion euros ($7.7 billion) earmarked for Ukraine under the European Peace Facility (EFP), a pot of money funded directly by contributions from EU members. The funds had been blocked by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but with the change of government in Budapest, the money is now available and back under Brussels' control.
The EFP funds can be used to reimburse countries' costs for military aid and peacekeeping operations and to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself directly.
Germany — which contributes the largest share of EFP funds — advocates turning over the full 6.6-billion-euro package to Ukraine.
"All returns from the fund that are not initially utilized should nevertheless be used to support Ukraine, (German Deputy Defense Minister Sebastian) Hartmann made clear in his appeal to the (European) partners. The European Peace Facility is designed as a solidarity mechanism," the German Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Warsaw has a problem with this plan, according to Tomczyk.
"In practice, less of this money means less money for the military," Tomczyk said, pledging to fight for every euro due to Poland. He also accused Brussels of "trying to change the rules of the game."
The disbursement of EFP funds is still under discussion, and it is not clear what portion will go to reimburse EU member states and what share Ukraine will receive.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on June 2 urged the EU to use the unblocked EFP funds to buy U.S. air defenses for Ukraine. His plea came after Russia attacked downtown Kyiv in a mass attack overnight.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that Sybiha was unlikely to get his wish granted in full, and that portions of the fund would likely go to reimburse EU members for weapons donated to Kyiv.
Poland's concerns over EFP disbursement could also become another point of contention in Ukraine's currently strained relationship with Warsaw. While Poland remains one of Kyiv's staunchest allies in its defense against Russia, historical grievances continue to spark controversy between the border nations.
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelensky provoked outrage in Warsaw after he named a Ukrainian special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) — an organization that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, but was also responsible for large-scale violence against Poles.
