EU Discusses Support for Ukraine... Likely to Split Over Trump Concerns

One Day After Trump's Election... Europe Discusses Support for Ukraine
Biden Administration Pushes for Rapid Support Measures for Ukraine

European countries will discuss issues related to support for Ukraine on the 7th (local time), just one day after the confirmation of former U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory. There are concerns that European countries may become divided, mindful of Trump’s previous opposition to additional support for Ukraine. The Joe Biden administration is pushing for a plan to quickly deliver over 8 trillion won in aid to Ukraine that was secured before Trump’s inauguration.

According to the European Union (EU), the 5th European Political Community (EPC) Summit will be held on the morning of the same day in Budapest, Hungary. The EPC was launched in October 2022, after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, with the aim of strengthening pan-European communication and cooperation. The EU leadership trio?Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell?will all attend. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will also participate.

The EU is expected to send a message at the meeting that continuous support for Ukraine is necessary regardless of the U.S. presidential election results. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is included on the invitation list and may attend, is likely to urgently appeal for additional support from European neighboring countries. However, former President Trump, who will be inaugurated as the 47th U.S. president, holds the position that Western weapons and financial support for Ukraine cannot resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been ongoing for more than two and a half years.

Viktor Orb?n, Prime Minister of Hungary, the rotating chair country of the EU for the second half of the year, appears to be conscious of former President Trump and has announced plans to put the brakes on various supports for Ukraine. There is analysis that the EU is already showing signs of division. According to a source from the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, Orb?n attended the 11th Turkic Council (OTS) Summit held in Kyrgyzstan the day before and argued that "a new strategy for Ukraine is needed." Orb?n is known to have maintained a close relationship with Trump, meeting him whenever he visited the U.S. even after Trump left office.

The Biden administration is pushing for a plan to quickly deliver the already approved aid to Ukraine. This means executing a budget of over 6 billion dollars (approximately 8.4 trillion won) that was secured before former President Trump’s inauguration.

However, the political media outlet Politico reported that it is uncertain whether all the supplies under the currently secured Ukraine security assistance budget can be delivered to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration. It takes several months to procure munitions and other military supplies and deliver them to Ukraine, and if Trump is inaugurated on January 20 next year, he could order a halt to the transportation of supplies.