EU leaders plan €20B Ukraine aid package as Trump turns against Zelenskyy

As the U.S. turns its back, Europe is scrambling to step up.

Feb 22, 2025 - 11:00

European leaders are working on a military aid package for Ukraine — worth at least €20 billion — to bolster Kyiv as the United States increasingly aligns with Moscow, three EU diplomats told POLITICO.

The planned package comes after U.S. President Donald Trump blamed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for the war in Ukraine, calling him a “dictator” who had tricked the U.S. into spending billions of dollars in military aid. The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives also said Thursday there was “no appetite” in Washington to send further aid to Kyiv.

The amount of European aid, which would include military hardware like artillery shells and missiles as well as cash, could yet rise farther as diplomats continue intensive consultations ahead of a gathering of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. POLITICO reported earlier this week that the package’s projected value was €6 billion to €10 billion, but that amount has changed during the talks and could still evolve.

The push to replenish Ukraine’s arms supply is being coordinated by the bloc’s top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and aims to surpass previous European commitments of military aid. Diplomats stressed that the aid, which is still being negotiated, would likely come in the form of pooled contributions from individual member states rather than an official EU package, given opposition from certain states, namely Hungary.

The push to replenish Ukraine’s arms supply is being coordinated by the bloc’s top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. | Emmanuel Croset/AFP via Getty Images

The scramble comes as EU officials and leaders prepare for a group expedition to Kyiv on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As the heads of key EU institutions and the leaders of Spain and the Nordic and Baltic states, among others, prepare to travel to Kyiv, they will be in close contact with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who are heading to Washington to meet with Trump.

Macron’s trip will be a chance for him to share the results of a week’s consultations with other Ukraine allies and to seek a better understanding of the Trump administration’s position.

Camille Gijs contributed reporting from Brussels.