Italy and Spain have announced that they are not ready to support the European Union’s (EU) offer to provide up to 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year. EU officials are planning to boost military support for Ukraine due to uncertainty regarding future Ukrainian policy under the Donald Trump administration in the United States. The proposal presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas aims to double the support given to Ukraine. In 2024, the EU and its member states had provided Ukraine with approximately 20 billion euros in military aid. Kallas, who presented the proposal at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member countries in Brussels on Monday, stated that the proposal has received “broad political support” and that details are currently being discussed. THE BIGGEST SUPPORT COMES FROM EASTERN EUROPE According to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Estonia, Denmark, and Lithuania were among the countries that provided the highest level of support in Europe by providing more than 2% of their GDP as aid to Ukraine between January 2022 and December 2024. On the other hand, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot Administration provide the least contribution, giving less than 0.5% of their GDP to Ukraine. Hungary, accused of pursuing policies close to Russia within the EU, ranks last on the list. “WAITING FOR THE TRUMP-PUTIN CALL” Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Italy and Spain, speaking before the meeting, expressed that it is still too early to take a definitive stance on the proposal. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasized the need for a thorough discussion of the proposal and evaluation in light of upcoming developments, stating, “We are awaiting the Trump-Putin phone call. We want to see if there will be any progress towards a ceasefire” and underscored Italy’s need to find resources to increase its own defense spending. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, “We will see how the discussions progress, but at the moment, there is no decision on this matter.” Albares also mentioned that Spain had committed to providing 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year and that Madrid did not expect an offer from Kallas in order to demonstrate that Ukraine can rely on support. COUNTER STATEMENT FROM HUNGARY Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, who, along with Slovakia, has not supported Ukraine, reacted to the proposal in a statement from his X account, saying, “We will not get involved in this process. We will not allow Hungarian taxpayers’ money to be used to send weapons to Ukraine.” European diplomats speaking to Reuters also believe that, since aid will be determined on a voluntary basis, Slovakia and Hungary will not be able to block the proposal.