• The European Union (EU) and our 27 Member States remain united and determined in our unprecedented support for Ukraine. Since the start of the war, the EU and our Member States have made available close to 212 billion AUD* in financial, military, humanitarian, and refugee assistance.
   
• In addition, in February 2024, European leaders agreed to commit up to 85 billion AUD until 2027 for the Ukraine Facility to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction and modernisation, as well as its efforts to carry out reforms as part of its accession path to the EU. This will bring our commitments to date to over 270 billion AUD.
   
• Furthermore, in October 2024, the EU and G7 partners agreed to collectively provide loans of 78 billion AUD to support Ukraine's urgent budgetary, military and reconstruction needs, financed by extraordinary revenues from immobilised Russian sovereign assets. The EU will contribute 31 billion AUD.
   
• In July 2024, the EU made available the first 2.5 billion AUD generated from immobilised Russian assets, of which 2.4 billion AUD was channelled through the European Peace Facility for military support and 171 million AUD through the Ukraine Facility for energy support.
   
• In December 2023, European leaders endorsed opening accession negotiations with Ukraine. Ukraine has shown remarkable determination and progress on reforms, including anti-corruption, while defending its country and its people against Russia’s aggression. Ukraine is already a member of the European family and we will continue supporting Ukraine every step of the way on its path to EU membership.
   
• Since the start of Russia’s illegal war, we have worked in lockstep with our likeminded global partners to impose massive sanctions on Russia, its military, and its economy, as well as to isolate Russia internationally, in spite of their negative effects on Europe’s economy. The EU is closely coordinating its actions with its partners and allies, including NATO, G7, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, South Korea and Australia.
   
• The EU also moved at lightning speed to diversify our energy supplies and decouple from Russian fossil fuels, banning Russian coal and oil imports and drastically reducing gas imports.

Collective EU and EU Member State support to Ukraine includes:

• Over 102 billion AUD in financial and budgetary support and in humanitarian and emergency assistance. This support is as essential as military assistance to ensure Ukraine’s success on the battlefield. It allows Ukraine to keep paying wages and pensions and maintain essential public services, such as hospitals, schools, and housing for relocated people. It also ensures macroeconomic stability, and helps restore critical infrastructure destroyed. It includes:
  • 42.8 billion AUD of financial assistance to Ukraine in 2022 and 2023
  • 27 billion AUD of financial assistance mobilised from the Ukraine Facility in 2024
  • 13.2 billion AUD of financial assistance directly from EU Member States in grants, loans, and guarantees
  • 4.4 billion AUD in loans from the EIB and EBRD guaranteed by the EU budget
  • 6.4 billion AUD in humanitarian aid, emergency assistance, budget support and crisis response and 191 million AUD to rebuild Ukrainian schools
  • Over 152,000 tonnes of in-kind assistance, including medical supplies, mobile hospitals, shelters, school buses, ambulances, and close to 8,500 power generators, with an estimated value of over 1.6 billion AUD, have been provided via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by 35 participating countries, coordinated by the EU
  • The EU has coordinated over 3,784 medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients to provide them with specialised healthcare in hospitals across Europe
     
• Close to 78 billion AUD in military assistance – ranging from ammunition to air-defense systems, Leopard tanks, and fighter jets. This includes an unprecedented 10.4 billion AUD from the “European Peace Facility,” in addition to bilateral contributions from our Member States. On top of that, in March 2024, the Council established a dedicated Ukraine Assistance Fund worth 8.5 billion AUD. EU support also includes 3.5 billion AUD for the joint procurement and delivery of up to an additional one million rounds of artillery ammunition, and an additional 839 million AUD to boost EU defense industry capacities in ammunition production. The EU is today the largest military training provider to the Ukrainian armed forces – by the end of 2024, 70,000 Ukrainian military personnel will be trained under the EU’s 612 million AUD Military Assistance Mission. An additional 42 million AUD have been provided for humanitarian de-mining of liberated territories.
   
• Up to 28 billion AUD from the EU budget to support Ukrainian refugees who have fled to EU Member States since February 2022. Close to 8 million refugees have been recorded in the EU, mainly women, children, and older persons, and more than 4 million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection in the EU, which means they are entitled to work, accommodation, healthcare, as well as schooling for their children. Today, close to 20 percent of Ukraine’s children are taking refuge in the EU.
   
• Over 3.5 billion AUD to boost “EU Solidarity Lanes” to transport Ukrainian food to the world and address the food security crisis caused by Russia’s war. These lanes have already helped Ukraine export over 150 million tonnes of goods, including 75 million tonnes of grains and related products, and generated much-needed revenue for Ukraine’s economy.
   
• We have temporarily suspended EU import duties for exports from Ukraine and figures show Ukraine’s exports are exceeding pre-war levels.

By bringing war back to Europe, Putin plans not only to destroy Ukraine and destabilise Europe, but tear up international law and the UN Charter and undermine peace and security in the entire world, including the Indo-Pacific region.

We are grateful to Australia for its unwavering support to Ukraine, and for standing with the European Union as we jointly work to ensure Ukraine’s victory in its ongoing fight for survival as an independent country and a sovereign nation.

* EUR values converted into AUD at the 12-month ECB reference exchange rate as of 16 December. The total figure includes $17 billion already mobilised under the Ukraine Facility.