Lithuania lifts lid on European 'Plan B' – backup blueprint bared to boost Ukrainian army
The EU countries are discussing the option of financing military aid to Ukraine with the participation of not all members of the bloc, if it is not possible to agree on the planned format through the European Peace Facility, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said, according to European Pravda.
"There are proposals that countries that do not want to participate may not take part. This means that mine and other countries that will participate will take on more of the burden. We, Lithuania, are ready for this. That is, it will not be 27 member countries, but a smaller group of countries," he said.
Earlier, the official representatives of the EU reported in a comment to Reuters that members of the bloc, who are in favor of military support for Ukraine, can adopt "plan B" if Hungary vetoes the aid bill.
One of the EU officials said that "the issue of money for Ukraine will be resolved one way or another, Kyiv will receive EU support."
27 EU member states are to vote on the aid package for Ukraine at the December 14-15 summit in Brussels.
Two EU countries – Hungary and Slovakia, where pro-Russian poitician Robert Fico recently took over as PM – opposed the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine at the EU summit.
On October 27, Slovakia said it was ready to increase its contribution to the EU budget over the next four years by 400 million euros in order for Ukraine to receive an aid package of 50 billion euros, under certain conditions.