A number of EU countries, including France and Germany, have expressed concern and objected to the idea of the European External Action Service to bypass Hungary's veto on providing aid to Ukraine, the Bloomberg News agency reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.
“[S]ome member states, including France and Germany, have voiced concerns over setting a precedent that could imperil the future of the European Peace Facility as a foreign policy tool, according to people familiar with the matter. Currently, the EPF relies on mandatory contributions based on each member state’s economic weight and requires unanimity for disbursement,” the agency said.
Earlier, EU diplomatic chief, Josep Borrell, said that Hungary continues to block the allocation of 6.6 billion euros from the EPF, as compensation to EU states for supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine.
A European source told reporters that the EU foreign policy service had submitted a proposal to the member states for the EU to contribute to the EPF on a voluntary basis, thereby bypassing Hungary's veto.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict, and amount to“playing with fire.”Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any shipments that contain arms for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia.