EU approves €500 million in military aid to Ukraine

This was announced on January 23 at a press conference following the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

"Today we have reached an agreement to provide the 7th tranche of military support with an additional EUR 500 million and additional assistance measures worth EUR 45 million for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are trained by our European Training Mission," he said.

Earlier, Reuters also reported on the approval of the package, citing several diplomatic sources. In particular, the sources noted that during the meeting, the participants tried to persuade Germany to facilitate the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

"Germany's Leopard tanks, fielded by armies across Europe, are widely seen as the best fit for Ukraine, but Berlin must authorise their sale and has yet to do so," the report said.

• On January 19, it was reported that Hungary had blocked the 7th tranche of the European Union's military support for Ukraine.