$21 bln Ukraine aid suggestion scrapped from EU summit draft
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The aid suggestion comes as Trump cuts US military aid from Ukraine, halting all weapon and equipment shipments, including those in transit in Poland.
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The European Union and Ukrainian flags flap in the wind in front of a banner to mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' suggestion to send Ukraine a massive aid package has been removed from the draft of the final statement of the upcoming EU summit on Ukraine, according to Euractiv on Tuesday.
The final draft of the statement does not mention Kallas's proposal of a 20 billion euro (21 billion dollars) aid package for Ukraine and instead calls state members to "review work done on the delivery of military support to Ukraine."
The statement also urges member states of the European Union to step up efforts "in particular on the delivery of air defense systems, ammunition and missiles, as well as on the provision of necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades, as well as other needs that Ukraine may have."
The emergency EU summit comes after the growing rift between the United States and Ukraine following the heated exchange between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump cuts Ukraine military aid
United States President Donald Trump ordered a complete halt of all military aid to Ukraine on March 4, which will remain in effect until the United States administration deems that Ukrainian leaders "demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace."
All US military equipment that has not reached Ukraine will be paused, including shipments of weapons and equipment that are in transit in Poland, which includes artillery, shells, small arms, anti-tank weapons, vehicles, armored vehicles, tanks, air defenses, advanced rocket artillery systems, and ballistic missile systems.
Trump issued his order to pause military aid to Kyiv following the heated exchange he had with Zelensky during the Ukrainian President's visit to the White House.
Trump and Zelensky get into heated row
US President Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance got into an argument with the Ukrainian President Zelensky during his visit to the Oval Office on February 28, after both sides started hurling accusations against each other.
Trump told Zelensky that Ukraine is "in big trouble" and that Kyiv "is not winning" its war against Russia, and he cautioned him about setting terms to the United States, saying, "We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel because you're in no position to dictate that. You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel."
The Ukrainian President and his delegation left the White House without signing a much-anticipated minerals deal, which Kyiv had agreed to after reaching an agreement with Washington after the latter abandoned its demand of a $500 billion share of revenue from extraction operations.
